Hyderabad: India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) achieved a significant milestone in Hypersonic Weapon Technology on Friday, conducting a long-duration ground test of an Active Cooled Scramjet Subscale Combustor for over 1,000 seconds at a state-of-the-art facility in Hyderabad.
The test, carried out by the Hyderabad-based Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) on April 25, 2025, at the newly built Scramjuice Connect Test Facility, follows an earlier test reported for 120 seconds in January 2025.
The successful demonstration validates the design of the long-duration scramjet combustor and the test facility, paving the way for full-scale flight-worthy combustor testing, the Defence Ministry stated in New Delhi today.
Hypersonic Cruise Missiles, capable of travelling more than five times the speed of sound (exceeding 6,100 kilometres per hour (kmph)) for extended periods, rely on air-breathing propulsion systems with supersonic combustion. This technology is critical for sustained cruise conditions, and the test strengthens India’s Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme through an integrated effort involving DRDO labs, industry, and academia.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, industry partners, and academia for the achievement, calling it a reflection of the government’s commitment to developing critical hypersonic weapon technologies for the nation. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat, also commended Director General (Missiles & Strategic Systems) Shri U Raja Babu, Director DRDL Dr GA Srinivasa Murthy, and the team for demonstrating supersonic combustion for over 1,000 seconds using cutting-edge technologies.
– global bihari bureau
