DRDO makes hypersonic leap towards Mach 6-plus cruise missiles with 1,000-second scramjet engine test

A statement from the government Friday said the accomplishment comes after an earlier 120-second trial carried out in January, setting the stage for comprehensive, flight-capable combustor tests scheduled for later this year. It termed the test as a significant milestone in hypersonic weapon technology.
A scramjet is a type of jet engine designed for hypersonic speeds. Unlike typical jet engines, it doesn't have moving parts like turbines or compressors. Instead, it relies on the high speed of the aircraft to compress incoming air.
New Delhi: In a stride forward for India's homegrown defence capabilities, the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced Friday that it had successfully completed a 1,000-second ground test of an active-cooled scramjet subscale combustor at its Scramjet Connect Test Facility in Hyderabad.
Hypersonic missiles represent a category of weapons capable of achieving speeds exceeding Mach 5, which equates to more than five times the speed of sound or in excess of 6,100 kilometres per hour.
A number of countries, notably the US, Russia and China, are currently engaged in the development of hypersonic technology. These advanced weapons have the potential to bypass existing air defence systems and deliver rapid and high-impact strikes. Central to sustained hypersonic flight is the scramjet.
By maintaining stable combustion for more than 16 minutes under internal temperatures exceeding 1,800 degrees Celsius, DRDO has validated both the combustor's active-cooling thermal-management system and the performance of the new test-bed infrastructure.
Fuel circulated through internal channels absorbs and removes extreme heat, enabling continuous operation, an achievement that many see as one of the toughest technical hurdles in hypersonics.
'A successful 1,000-second run paves a strong base for the nation's Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme,' the statement noted.
The milestone propels India's objective to develop long-range, Mach 6-plus cruise missiles that can effectively bypass contemporary air-defence systems and achieve a greater range of hypersonic missiles compared to those presently in operation globally.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: 'Star Wars tech': DRDO showcases 30 KW laser-based weapon to take down helicopters, swarm drones

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

News18

4 hours ago

• News18

In A First, Israel Uses Barak System Co-Developed By India To Shoot Down Iran's Drones

Last Updated: The 'Barak' air defence system used by Israeli military was co-developed by India's DRDO, and was used during Operation Sindoor to intercept a Pakistani missile. The Israeli Air Force deployed its advanced 'Barak' air defence system to intercept an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle that entered Israeli airspace, it said on Friday. The Barak system was jointly developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It is designed to safeguard against aerial threats, including UAVs, cruise missiles and other airborne targets. 'Earlier today, the 'Barak" system of the Air Force's air defense system intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle that crossed into Israeli territory. The 'Barak" system was developed in Israel to protect against aerial threats," said the Israeli military. מערכת ״ברק״ בשימוש ראשון במערך ההגנה האווירית של חיל האוויר יירטה כלי טיס בלתי מאויישמוקדם יותר היום מערכת ״ברק״ של מערך ההגנה האווירית של חיל האוויר, יירטה כלי טיס בלתי מאוייש שחצה לשטח ישראל. מערכת ״ברק״ פותחה בישראל על מנת להגן מפני איומים אוויריים. חיל האוויר ימשיך לפעול… — צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 20, 2025 'The Air Force will continue to operate to intercept targets that threaten the skies of the State of Israel and the maintenance of air superiority in the region." What Is Special About 'Barak' System? The Barak air defence system is an advanced, short to medium-range missile defense system developed by Israel to protect naval vessels and land targets from UAVs, cruise missiles and aircraft. It uses radar-guided surface-to-air missiles capable of intercepting multiple targets simultaneously. The Barak-8 missile system, also known as MR-SAM, was co-developed by India's DRDO and Israel's IAI. The DRDO developed critical components such as the dual-phase rocket motor. Notably, the Barak system was used recently by India during Operation Sindoor, when it intercepted a Pakistani Fatah-II missile targeting Delhi at Haryana's Sirsa. First Published:

Time of India

13 hours ago

• Time of India

Sarojininagar leads city's tech transformation

Lucknow: Outlining his vision to transform Lucknow into India's next major digital hub, with Sarojininagar leading the way, MLA Rajeshwar Singh posted on X, saying, "This is just the beginning," as the city's identity evolves "from tradition to technology. " He announced the development of India's first 70-acre Artificial Intelligence City in Lucknow, alongside Sarojininagar's emergence as a strategic defence-tech hub with the 1,500-acre Aerocity, BrahMos unit, and DRDO lab. Major players like IBM, Deloitte, Genpact, and Teleperformance have already entered the city, while Dassault Systèmes is investing Rs 240 crore in R&D at AKTU. Singh emphasised that 35% of Bengaluru's tech workforce hails from Uttar Pradesh and it's time for them to return. Citing a NASSCOM–Deloitte report, he highlighted Lucknow's rising status among India's emerging tech cities, driven by talent availability, cost advantage, and govt support. He also proposed the formation of a Uttar Pradesh Artificial Intelligence Commission to regulate and promote AI research. Crediting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the ongoing transformation, Singh said, "Sarojininagar is not just growing — it is becoming India's innovation epicentre. We're building tomorrow's Uttar Pradesh today."

The Hindu

14 hours ago

• The Hindu

Quantum challenge: On IIT-DRDO demonstration of quantum key-distribution scheme

Scientists from IIT-Delhi and the DRDO recently demonstrated a key advance in quantum cybersecurity that stands to revolutionise how the world will communicate in the future. The world's secrets are currently stored and communicated via channels that are protected by difficult mathematical problems. Over the years, an increasing amount of computing power available to certain actors has forced these problems to become difficult and nigh-uncrackable. The imminence of quantum computing requires this paradigm to change because quantum computers can (at least on paper) solve problems currently out of reach of the most powerful conventional supercomputers. Quantum cybersecurity is one prong of this change, promising to protect communication channels irrespective of the computing power available to malicious actors. The IIT-Delhi and DRDO team successfully demonstrated a quantum key-distribution scheme through one kilometre of free space on the institute's campus. Such a technology allows two individuals (or stations) located a kilometre apart to securely access messages they send each other. If an eavesdropper tries to intercept any message, instantaneous changes in the keys the individuals use to decrypt the messages will reveal the channel has been compromised, and in a way that the eavesdropper cannot prevent. If scaled up to include satellites, the technology could allow stations anywhere in India to exchange information through a quantum network without fear of being compromised. Herein lies the rub. Quantum communications is one of the four themes of the National Quantum Mission, approved in 2023 with an outlay of ₹6,003 crore until 2031. Many of the same problems assailing fundamental research in India have already beset research under the Mission, however. A small fraction of the outlay has been disbursed thus far even as venture capital flow into startups remains trivial. Scientists have complained that just-in-time funding, absence of single-window clearances, and documentation requirements have increased the duration of projects. There are persistent foreign hardware and software dependencies: materials required for specific use-cases, such as cryostats and sensors, need to be fabricated abroad while most quantum software stacks are currently implemented by multinational companies. Government pay does not match global offers and lack of timely access to resources has forced researchers to accept short-term contracts and rent equipment. In fact, India's commitment, itself down from the ₹8,000 crore announced in 2020, is dwarfed by those of the U.S. and China, which are five- and 20-times higher, respectively. If the demonstration at IIT-Delhi is to scale, the government cannot simply 'clip on' scientific talent and technological and economic opportunity to existing infrastructure. Administrative reform is essential.