DRDO scramjet test marks a big leap toward hypersonic weapons arsenal

Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), conducted long-duration active cooled scramjet subscale combustor ground testing for more than 1,000 seconds. The test, which was in continuation of the earlier test in January that lasted for 120 seconds, was carried out at the newly-built Scramjet Connect Test Facility at Hyderabad.

The defence ministry, in a release, said with the successful test, the system will be soon ready for full-scale flight-worthy combustor testing.

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Hypersonic cruise missile is a class of weapons that can travel more than five times the speed of sound (> 6100 Kmph) for a long duration and is powered by an air-breathing engine. Air-breathing propulsion systems, having supersonic combustion, play a major role in long-duration cruise conditions. “This test validates the design of long-duration scramjet combustor as well as test facility. It is an outcome of an integrated effort put by the DRDO labs along with industry and academia and paves a strong base for the nation’s hypersonic cruise missile development programme,” the defence ministry said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented DRDO, Industry partners and academia for the remarkable achievement, saying the successful testing is a reflection of the government’s strong commitment to realising critical hypersonic weapon technologies for the nation.

Defence