Updated: September 7, 2020 8:49:08 pm
Scramjets are a variant of a category of jet engines called air breathing engines. The ability of engines to handle airflows of speeds in multiples of the speed of sound gives it the ability to operate at those speeds.
Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on Monday flight tested successfully the Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle (HSTDV) – an unmanned scramjet vehicle capable of traveling at six times the speed of sound. A look at the vehicle and its development, and the importance of the test for defense and other sectors.
Importance of the test
The DRDO said in a series of tweets: “On a landmark mission today, India successfully tested the hypersonic technology demonstration vehicle, a giant leap in indigenous defense technologies and a significant milestone towards Sashakt Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat. DRDO with this mission, has demonstrated capabilities for a highly complex technology that will serve as the cornerstone of NextGen hypersonic vehicles in partnership with the industry. “
Successful flight test of the Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle (HSTDV) from the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Launch Complex on Wheeler Island today off the coast of Odisha. pic.twitter.com/7SstcyLQVo
– रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय / RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 7, 2020
The test that was conducted from the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Launch Complex on Wheeler Island, off the coast of Odisha today, used the Agni missile. A solid rocket motor from Agni missiles was used to take it to an altitude of 30 kilometers where the cruise vehicle was separated from the launch vehicle and the air intake was opened as planned. The test parameters were monitored by multiple tracking radars, electro-optical systems and telemetry stations and a ship was also deployed in the Bay of Bengal to monitor the performance during the cruise phase of the hypersonic vehicle. All performance parameters have indicated a resounding success for the mission, officials said.
A senior scientist at DRDO said that although the system was tested over a very short period, it has given scientists a large set of data points to work on for further development. The independent development of the technology will also drive the development of systems built with hypersonic vehicles at their core, including both offensive and defensive hypersonic cruise missile systems and also in the space sector.
Scientists believe that while the successful test is an important milestone, many more rounds of testing will be required to reach the level of technology with countries such as the United States, Russia and China. “This is certainly a milestone, but developers will have to see it as a stepping stone.” A scientist from DRDO, who was part of the project, said.
The hypersonic vehicle and its scramjet engine
Scramjets are a variant of a category of jet engines called air breathing engines. The ability of engines to handle airflows of speeds in multiples of the speed of sound gives it the ability to operate at those speeds.
Hypersonic speeds are those that are five times or more than the speed of sound. The unit tested by the DRDO can reach up to six times the speed of sound or Mach 6, which is more than 7000 kilometers per hour or around two kilometers per second.
For Monday’s test, hypersonic combustion was maintained and the cruise vehicle continued on its desired flight path at a speed of Mach 6 for a period of 20 seconds. “Critical events such as fuel injection and scramjet automatic ignition demonstrated technological maturity. The scramjet engine worked like a textbook. “The DRDO said. While the technology helps achieve hypersonic speeds, it has a number of downsides, the most obvious of which is its high cost and high thrust-to-weight ratio.
Technology development
The DRDO started development of the engine in the early 2010s. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has also worked on developing the technology and successfully tested a system in 2016. DRDO has also conducted a test this system in June 2019.
DRDO’s special project consisted of contributions from its multiple facilities, including the Pune-based Weapons and Combat Engineering Group. “At hypersonic speeds, the system has to handle temperatures in the 2500 degree Celsius range, as well as air speed, so material development is one of the main challenges.” said a DRDO scientist.
For this project, DRDO used many technologies that were already available. Following Monday’s test, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted: “The DRDO today successfully flight tested the hypersonic technology demonstration vehicle using the home-developed scramjet propulsion system. With this success, all critical technologies are now in place to advance to the next phase. “
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