India successfully conducts scramjet engine ground test for hypersonic missiles

A major fillip to India’s pursuit of true-blue hypersonic missiles, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully carried out a cutting-edge Active Cooled Scramjet Combustor ground test for 120 seconds for the first time.

The indigenous development of endothermic scramjet fuel, a first in India, jointly by DRDO and the ‘Industry’ is central to this breakthrough, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The fuel offers dual benefits of significant cooling improvement and ease of ignition. India has also developed a new advanced ceramic Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) having high thermal resistance and capable of operating beyond melting point of steel.

This will eventually pave the way for India having hypersonic cruise missiles that can travel at speeds greater than Mach 5, which moves at five times the speed of sound or more than 5,400 km/hr. These advanced weapons have the potential to bypass existing Air Defence Systems and deliver rapid and high-impact strikes.

Several nations including the USA, Russia, India and China are actively pursuing hypersonic technology. With the new technology, India would be able to have a longer range of hypersonic missiles than those currently deployed in the world.

While India has tested hypersonic gliders, this is the first time that an active scramjet combustor has been tested for such a long duration. “The hypersonic glider is powered by a rocket motor and glides to a particular point at hypersonic speed,” former DRDO chief V. K. Saraswat told The Print, explaining the difference between what India currently has and will now have. He said that India lacked the ability to have a hypersonic cruise missile and the latest test is a huge success for the country.

The Print

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