DRDO boosts hypersonic tech with scramjet combustor test
The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), a unit of DRDO, on Friday conducted a long-duration ground test of an Active Cooled Scramjet Subscale Combustor for over 1,000 seconds at the newly built, state-of-the-art Scramjet Connect Test Facility in Hyderabad.
Describing the test as a significant milestone in hypersonic weapon technology, DRDO said this ground test follows an earlier one conducted for 120 seconds in January this year.
With the successful completion of this test, the system will soon be ready for full-scale, flight-worthy combustor testing, an official release said.
Scramjets are air-breathing engines capable of sustaining combustion at supersonic speeds without using any moving parts. Hypersonic cruise missiles, a class of advanced weaponry, can travel at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (over 6,100 km/h) for extended durations, powered by air-breathing engines.
Air-breathing propulsion systems with supersonic combustion are crucial for sustained high-speed cruise conditions.
'This test validates the design of the long-duration scramjet combustor as well as the test facility. It is the result of integrated efforts by DRDO laboratories in collaboration with industry and academia, laying a strong foundation for the nation's hypersonic cruise missile development programme,' the release stated. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the achievement as a reflection of the government's strong
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