28 Jan 2026
UK Hypersonics Network Kick-Off Meeting
The UK Hypersonics Network was formally launched at the Royal Aeronautical Society in January 2026, bringing together the national research community to define priorities and establish Special Interest Groups aligned with a future hypersonic flight experiment.
The UK Hypersonics Network Kick-Off Meeting was held at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London and marked the formal launch of the EPSRC-funded Network.
The meeting brought together representatives from universities across the UK, spanning experimental, computational and materials communities, and provided the first structured opportunity to convene the national hypersonics research base.
The opening sessions outlined the Network’s vision, governance framework and long-term objective of developing a scientifically led pathway towards a hypersonic flight experiment. International perspectives were provided by Dr Stefan Loehle and Professor David Buttsworth, who drew on their experience of hypersonic flight testing to set out the practical requirements before and after a flight experiment, including payload definition, instrumentation strategy, validation and data interpretation. Their contributions grounded the discussion in operational reality and helped frame subsequent technical debate.
The afternoon focused on presentations of proposed Special Interest Groups (SIGs), followed by breakout discussions to refine scope, identify complementarities and test deliverability. A UK national review session provided a snapshot of current research activity across institutions, reinforcing both the depth of capability and the need for coordinated effort.
Overall, the meeting established clear strategic direction, initiated SIG formation and generated strong engagement across the community, providing a solid foundation for the Network’s delivery phase.
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For queries, contact: hypersonics-network-uk@eng.ox.ac.uk.
