India carries out ground test of scramjet engine, key to hypersonic missiles
The defence ministry described ground test as a crucial milestone in developing next-generation hypersonic missiles that can travel at speeds of more than Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound
NEW DELHI: India has for the first time carried out a successful ground test of a scramjet engine, an air breathing engine capable of sustaining combustion during supersonic flights, with the defence ministry on Tuesday describing the development as a crucial milestone in developing next-generation hypersonic missiles that can travel at speeds of more than Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound.
“These advanced weapons (hypersonic missiles) have the potential to bypass existing air defence systems and deliver rapid and high-impact strikes. The key to hypersonic vehicles is the scramjet --- an air breathing engine capable of sustaining combustion at supersonic speeds without using any moving parts,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Only the United States, Russia and China have developed technologies to field fast-manoeuvring hypersonic missiles that fly at lower altitudes and are extremely hard to track and intercept.
An improvement over ramjet technology, the scramjet engine operates efficiently at hypersonic speeds and allows supersonic combustion.
The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based unit of Defence Research and Development Organisation, is developing a long-duration supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) powered hypersonic technology.
“The DRDL recently developed these technologies and demonstrated a cutting-edge active cooled scramjet combustor ground test for 120 seconds for the first time in India. The successful ground test marks a crucial milestone in developing next-generation hypersonic missiles,” the statement said.
The ground test of scramjet combustor showcased several notable achievements, including successful ignition and stable combustion, demonstrating its potential for operational use in hypersonic vehicles, it said. Scramjet combustor incorporates an innovative flame stabilisation technique that holds continuous flame inside the combustor even with an air speed of more than 1.5 km/second.
“The indigenous development of scramjet fuel for the first time, jointly by the DRDL and industry is, central to this breakthrough. The fuel offers dual benefits of significant cooling improvement and ease of ignition. The team developed a special manufacturing process to achieve stringent fuel requirements of the DRDL on an industrial scale,” the ministry said.
Another notable achievement is the development of state-of-art thermal barrier coating (TBC), designed to withstand extreme temperatures during hypersonic flight, it said. A new advanced ceramic TBC, with high thermal resistance and capable of operating beyond the melting point of steel, has been jointly developed by the DRDL and the department of science and technology.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO and the industry for the successful ground test. DRDO chief Samir V Kamat also congratulated the DRDL and the industry for demonstrating capabilities in stable combustion, enhanced performance, and advanced thermal management tests.
The development comes two months after India announced that the DRDO had successfully test-fired the country’s first long-range hypersonic missile off the Odisha coast, a step towards strengthening the military’s capabilities with a new weapon system.
The hypersonic missile tested is designed to carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1,500 kms for the armed forces. It was tracked by various range systems, deployed in multiple domains, and the flight data obtained from down range ship stations confirmed the successful terminal manoeuvres and impact with a high degree of accuracy.