DRDO achieves breakthrough in hypersonic missile development programme: Govt

In a major leap for India's hypersonic missile programme, the DRDO on Saturday announced the successful long-duration test of an actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor. The ''extensive'' long-duration test of the ''actively cooled full scale scramjet combustor'' has put India at the forefront of advanced aerospace capabilities, the defence ministry said. For any hypersonic missile programme, this technology is considered extremely crucial as active cooling allows the weapon to travel hundreds of miles at incredible speed. The test, conducted at the Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), achieved a continuous run-time of over 1,200 seconds (20 minutes), validating the engine's ability to sustain extreme thermal loads required for hypersonic cruise missiles. The DRDL achieved a ''path-breaking milestone in the development of hypersonic missiles by successfully conducting an ''extensive long-duration test of its actively cooled full scale scramjet combustor'', the ministry said. ''A run-time of over 1,200 seconds was achieved at the state-of-the-art scramjet connect pipe test (SCPT) facility in Hyderabad on May 9, building upon the earlier successful test of over 700 seconds conducted in January this year,'' it said. DRDL is a premier DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) laboratory. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO, industry partners and academia on the successful ground-test of the scramjet engine. He described the achievement as a ''solid foundation'' for the nation's hypersonic cruise missile development programme. ''This successful test positions India at the forefront of advanced aerospace capabilities and continuously emerging war technologies,'' the ministry said in a statement. The ground-tests have successfully validated the design of advanced active cooled scramjet combustor as well as the capabilities of state-of-art test facility, it added.

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