McLaren aids MoD as part of £1 billion project - as Russia's ongoing arms race with the West heats up
6 July 2024, 10:39 | Updated: 6 July 2024, 18:14
McLaren has joined up with the British military as part of a wider £1billion hypersonic defence project in a bid to optimise "effective decision-making."
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The car maker's Accelerator team will assist the MoD’s Hypersonics department as part of the major new deal.
The project will see the brand share their knowledge of high-performance environments with the MoD to "advise on optimising supply chain relationships."
Harnessing motorsport innovation, digital decision making and team capabilities, the news coincides with this weekend's British Grand Prix taking place at Silverstone.
“The MOD partnership with McLaren’s Accelerator team is centred around shared learning and improving decision making processes to help achieve a high-performance culture and operational efficiency," a McLaren spokesperson said of the news.
"McLaren Racing is in no way involved in developing any technology or weapon capabilities with the MOD,” the McLaren spokesperson pointed out.
The defence project comes amid ongoing tensions with Russia and China, weeks after the government faced widespread criticism over defence spending.
Hypersonic missiles can manoeuvre while travelling faster than Mach 5, which is five times the speed of sound and makes them difficult to intercept.
Sunday will see McLaren's Formula 1 team - more specifically drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, take to the track in a bid to compete for pole.
Hypersonic missiles are designed to reach far higher speeds than standard cruise missiles and are considered an integral part of modern defence systems.
Recent years have seen Russia and China both flex their military might where hypersonic missiles are concerned.
Russia unleashed Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles in Ukraine as part of their ongoing offensive.
A number of Russian missiles in the region have previously been downed by US Patriot rockets, despite claims from Vladimir Putin that the weapons were unstoppable, The Sun reported.
Meanwhile, China test-fired two hypersonic weapons in 2022 as part a show of force.
