To congratulate DRDO Scientists for the “historic achievement”, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that with the successful flight test of the HSTDV, using the locally developed scramjet propulsion system, all critical technologies have been established to advance to the next phase.
The @DRDO_India has successfully tested the hypersonic technology demonstrator vehicle in flight today using indigenous people… https://t.co/AYayZ0zees
– Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 1599459912000
I congratulate DRDO for this historic achievement towards the realization of PM’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. I spoke with… https://t.co/PJraOpYbhZ
– Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 1599459913000
The test of the HSTDV, designed to sail at Mach 6 with the scramjet engine, was conducted from Dr. Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha at 11:03 a.m. “It met all the established technical parameters,” said one scientist.
The HSTDV project basically aims to demonstrate the autonomous flight of an integrated scramjet vehicle, which can have multiple civil applications, including low-cost satellite launching, as well as military uses in the form of long-range cruise missiles.
DRDO said the mission demonstrated capabilities for the highly complex technology that will serve as a building block for next-generation hypersonic vehicles in partnership with Indian industry.
President DRDO congratulated all scientists, researchers and other personnel related to the #HSTDV mission for… https://t.co/2F6i3531Yo
– DRDO (@DRDO_India) 1599461896000
DRDO President Dr. G Satheesh Reddy congratulated all scientists, researchers and other personnel associated with the HSTDV mission for “their determined and unwavering efforts to strengthen the nation’s defense capabilities.”
Only a handful of countries, such as the United States, Russia and China, have demonstrated this ability so far. A scramjet engine is an improvement over the ramjet engine because the former runs efficiently at hypersonic speeds and allows for supersonic combustion. Ramjets, by contrast, perform well at supersonic speeds around Mach 3, but their efficiency drops at hypersonic speeds.
The inaugural launch of the HSTDV, powered by the robust rocket engine of an Agni ballistic missile, in June last year had failed. The HSTDV was supposed to “shoot and fly itself” after being brought to an altitude of about 30 km, but the Agni thruster was unable to reach the desired altitude.
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