Europe’s Plan to Detect Hypersonic Missiles from Space
Building a Sovereign Space-Based Infrared Layer for Hypersonic Detection and NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence
Hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles compress warning timelines and undermine traditional radar-based air and missile defence architectures by flying low, manoeuvring unpredictably, and exploiting line-of-sight constraints. For European planners, the problem is no longer theoretical: without persistent space-based infrared sensing capable of detecting launches and tracking high-speed glide trajectories in near real time, layered defence concepts risk entering the engagement cycle too late. This analysis examines Europe’s emerging response through EU and NATO-aligned programmes such as TWISTER, HYDIS and ODIN’s EYE, assessing whether the continent’s industrial base—focal plane arrays, cryogenic coolers, radiation-hardened processing and satellite integration—can deliver a sovereign hypersonic early-warning layer within the 2030 horizon. It maps the technical chokepoints, supply-chain concentration risks, and integration requirements that will determine whether Europe can translate political commitment into an operationally credible space-based tracking architecture.