DRDO Attains Key Milestone In Scramjet-powered Hypersonic Technology

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted on Friday scramjet combustor ground testing for more than 1,000 seconds.

The defence ministry lauded the DRDO, saying it has achieved a "significant" milestone in the sector of hypersonic weapon technology.

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All you need to know about DRDO's recent development

Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based laboratory of the DRDO, is developing a long-duration supersonic combustion ramjet or scramjet-powered hypersonic technology.

DRDL conducted the "long-duration active cooled scramjet subscale combustor ground testing for more than 1,000 seconds at the newly built state-of-the-art Scramjet Connect Test Facility at Hyderabad", the defence ministry shared in a statement.

"With the successful test, the system will be soon ready for full scale flight worthy combustor testing," it said.

The ground test is a continuation of the earlier test reported for 120 seconds in January, when the ministry disclosed that the DRDL had developed these technologies and demonstrated a cutting-edge active cooled scramjet combustor ground test for this duration for the first time in India.

The successful ground test had attained a "crucial milestone in developing next-generation hypersonic missiles", it had said.

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What is a hypersonic cruise missile?

A hypersonic cruise missile belongs to a class of weapons that can travel more than Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound (over 6,100 kmph) for a long duration and is powered by air breathing engine.

Air-breathing propulsion systems, having supersonic combustion, play a critical role in long-duration cruise conditions, the ministry statement read.

"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," it added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has praised the DRDO, industry partners and academia for this "remarkable achievement".

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