It will enable the creation of hypersonic missiles, which can fly six times faster than sound. A scramjet engine (supersonic-combustion ramjet) is a hypersonic-capable engine. A Hypersonic Vehicle may be an aircraft, a missile, or even a spacecraft.
India has taken a major step toward producing hypersonic cruise missiles by successfully testing an HSTDV from Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on Friday.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted two successful tests of its hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology in the past three years.
According to defense sources, the mission did not meet all parameters but validated some crucial events. These included the auto-ignition of the scramjet, the aerodynamic configuration for hypersonic movements, and the thermo-structural characterization of high-temperature materials.
The hypersonic separation mechanism was tested independently from the cruise vehicle, which was mounted on a solid rocket motor and traveled at six times the speed of sound (almost 02. km/second).
The first test, which took place on June 12, 2019, involved launching the cruise vehicle at hypersonic Mach number and separating the aerodynamic heat shields at a height of 30 kilometers.
A defense official stated that the vehicle’s flight path had changed and that the scramjet engine had been auto-ignited in mid-air to push the cruise vehicle at Mach 6. In response to whether or not the test was successful, he remarked, “The DRDO is examining the data obtained during the test.”
The one-tonne, 5.6 meter-long air vehicle features a flattened octagonal cross-section with mid-body stub wings, raked tail fins, and a 3.7-meter rectangular section air intake.
The cruiser’s aft body doubles as an exhaust nozzle for the scramjet engine, which is housed in the vehicle’s midsection. The engine operated at extremely high temperatures and dynamic pressures.
Sources within the defense industry have said that the cruise vehicle is being designed to carry hypersonic and long-range cruise missiles. It will also have several non-military uses, such as serving as a cheap vehicle for launching tiny satellites.