DRDO Achieves Major Breakthrough in Hypersonic Scramjet Propulsion Technology
Analysis:
- India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved a critical milestone in its hypersonic weapons programme through a successful long-duration ground test of an Active Cooled Scramjet Combustor.
- The test was conducted for 120 seconds by the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, marking significant progress in supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) propulsion.
- Scramjet engines are essential for hypersonic missiles, which travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5 (over 5,400 km/hr), enabling rapid strike capability with limited interception windows.
- Hypersonic flight creates extreme thermal and mechanical stresses on propulsion systems, requiring advanced heat management technologies.
- To counter this challenge, DRDL in collaboration with the Department of Science & Technology (DST) developed an advanced Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC).
- The coating can withstand temperatures above 2,000°F, far exceeding the melting point of steel, ensuring durability during prolonged hypersonic flight.
- A major technological enabler was the indigenous endothermic scramjet fuel, jointly developed by DRDL and industry partners — a first for India.
- This fuel provides enhanced cooling, efficient heat absorption, and reliable ignition under extreme speed conditions.
- The achievement follows the recent successful test of India’s first long-range hypersonic missile with a strike range of over 1,500 km.
- With this progress, India has joined an elite group of nations — United States, Russia, and China — developing operational hypersonic weapon systems.
- The milestone significantly strengthens India’s strategic deterrence, high-speed strike capability, and indigenous advanced weapons ecosystem.
Necessary Static Part:
- DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) is India’s premier defence R&D agency under the Ministry of Defence.
- Scramjet (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) engines operate without moving parts and use atmospheric oxygen, making them ideal for hypersonic cruise vehicles.
- Hypersonic weapons combine extreme speed, manoeuvrability, and low-altitude flight, making detection and interception extremely difficult.
- Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) protect aerospace components from ultra-high temperatures during sustained high-speed operations.
- Endothermic fuels absorb heat during combustion, providing both propulsion energy and active cooling.
Updated - 21 Jan 2025; 09:11 PM | Source:SwarajyaMag