DRDO successfully conducts scramjet engine test for hypersonic missiles

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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted a ground test of scramjet combustor, demonstrating its potential for operational use in hypersonic missiles, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based laboratory of DRDO, has taken the initiative in developing a long-duration supersonic combustion ramjet or scramjet powered hypersonic technology, the ministry said in a statement.   

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, it said.

The successful ground test marks a "crucial milestone in developing next-generation hypersonic missiles", the ministry added.

"The ground test of scramjet combustor showcased several notable achievements, demonstrating its potential for operational use in hypersonic vehicles, like successful ignition and stable combustion," the statement said.

Hypersonic missiles are a class of advanced weaponry that travel at speeds greater than Mach 5 i.e., five times the speed of sound or more than 5,400 kmph. These advanced weapons have the potential to bypass existing air defence systems and deliver rapid and high-impact strikes, it said.

Several nations including the US, Russia, India and China are actively pursuing hypersonic technology, the ministry said.

"The key to hypersonic vehicles is scramjets, which are air breathing engines capable of sustaining combustion at supersonic speeds without using any moving parts," it said.

Ignition in a scramjet engine is like "keeping a candle lit in a hurricane". Scramjet combustor incorporates an innovative flame stabilisation technique that holds continuous flame inside the combustor with air speed in excess of 1.5 kmps. Many novel and promising ignition and flame holding techniques were studied through many ground tests in arriving at scramjet engine configuration, it said.

Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation tools were used for their evaluation and performance prediction, the ministry said.

"The indigenous development of endothermic scramjet fuel, the first time in India, jointly by 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 DRDL at industrial scale," the statement said.

Another key achievement is the development of state-of-the-art thermal barrier coating (TBC) which is designed to withstand extreme temperatures encountered during hypersonic flight.

"A new advanced ceramic TBC having high thermal resistance and capable of operating beyond melting point of steel has been jointly developed by DRDL and Department of Science & Technology (DST) Laboratory. The coating is applied inside the scramjet engine using special deposition methods that enhance their performance and longevity," it said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented the DRDO and the industry for the successful scramjet engine ground test.

"The achievement marks a crucial milestone in the development of next-generation hypersonic missions," he was quoted as saying in the statement.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman, Samir V Kamat congratulated the DRDL team and the industry for demonstrating capabilities in stable combustion, enhanced performance, and advanced thermal management test.