DRDO Hypersonic Milestone: 12-Minute Scramjet Test

Syllabus: Indigenization of Technology; Defense

Ministry of Defence

Why in news?

DRDO's Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) successfully conducted a long-duration ground test of an Actively Cooled Scramjet Full Scale Combustor for over 12 minutes.

⚛️Static Concepts

Ramjet vs ScramjetMach NumbersBallistic vs Cruise Missiles

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Prelims-Oriented Points

Test Duration: Over 12 minutes (significant milestone for sustained hypersonic flight).
Facility: Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) Facility at DRDL, Hyderabad.
Technology: Actively Cooled Scramjet Engine; utilizes supersonic combustion.
Speed: Hypersonic Cruise Missiles exceed Mach 5 (over 6,100 km/hr).
Previous Test: Subscale test conducted on April 25, 2025.

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Examiner's Trap: Ramjet engines compress air subsonic-ally; Scramjet (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) compresses air SUPERSONIC-ALLY. This test was for SCRAMJET.

Quick Data Points

12 minutes run time

> Mach 5 speed capability

Mains Value Addition

GS-3: Defense Technology; Indigenization; Security Challenges.

Strategic Deterrence: Mastery of long-duration hypersonic flight places India among elite nations with advanced missile delivery capabilities.
Technological Spin-offs: Advances in active cooling and high-temperature materials have dual-use applications in space and civilian aerospace.
Indigenization: Fully designed by DRDL and realized by Indian industry partners (Make in India).

Source

Press Information Bureau (PIB)

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