Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted an extensive long-duration ground test of its Actively Cooled Scramjet Engine. Defence Ministry said that this is a path-breaking milestone in the development of Hypersonic Missiles. A hypersonic cruise missile can travel at more than five times the speed of sound, or over six thousand 100 kilometres per hour for long durations. The Ministry informed that the test was carried out by the DRDO’s Hyderabad-based laboratory, Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL).

The engine ran for over 12 minutes at DRDO’s Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) facility. The Ministry said that the remarkable feat is achieved through a cutting-edge air-breathing engine, which utilises supersonic combustion to sustain long-duration flight. The Combustor and test facility were designed and developed by the DRDL and realised by industry partners. The successful test positions India at the forefront of advanced aerospace capabilities. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, industry partners and academia on the successful ground test of the Full Scale Actively Cooled Long Duration Scramjet Engine. He said that the achievement is a solid foundation for the nation’s Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Program.