The Scramjet engine:
The scramjet engine, which on Monday propelled the HSTDV at Mach 6, six times the speed of sound, is an improvement over the ramjet engine. It operates efficiently at hypersonic speeds and allows supersonic combustion. In contrast, ramjets perform well at supersonic speeds of around Mach 3, but their efficiency drops at hypersonic speeds.
While this is a major achievement for DRDO, which has been talking about the technology since the early 2000s, the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) had tested its scramjet engine as early as 2016.
The military significance of this is that the scramjet engine, which is dual-purpose (military and civil), will serve as a critical building block for next-generation hypersonic cruise missiles, which will be designed to fly at speeds five times faster than normal. sound.
Future strike:
When ready for testing and later use, hypersonic missiles will greatly increase India’s arsenal, placing it alongside a handful of countries that have such weapons.
In addition to the speed of more than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5), the maneuverability of hypersonic missiles makes them very effective offensive weapons capable of defeating the enemy. missile defense and monitoring systems.
The potency of a hypersonic missile is the speed at which it travels, allowing it to have a fast reaction time that is considered invaluable for both defense and offense.
But India is still far behind countries like the United States, China and Russia. China last year flaunted its DF-17 missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle in its national military parade.
India has been working to make BrahMos a supersonic cruise missile – hypersonic, and the scramjet will help in that effort too. Developed jointly with Russia, the BrahMos now flies at a speed of Mach 2.8.
Low-cost satellite launches
Furthermore, on the civilian side, the HSTDV can power satellites at low cost. However, your ability to do so will be restricted. Experts believe that such a vehicle, using scramjet, can only push satellites to LEO (low earth orbit), since air-breathing engines will not find oxygen at higher altitudes.
According to Isro, at present, satellites are launched by multi-stage satellite launch vehicles that can be used only once (expendable). These launch vehicles carry oxidant along with the fuel so that the combustion produces thrust. Launch vehicles designed for single use are expensive and their efficiency is low because they can only carry 2 to 4% of their take-off mass into orbit.
Almost 70% of the propellant (fuel and oxidant combination) in today’s launch vehicles consists of oxidants. Therefore, next-generation launch vehicles must use a propulsion system that can utilize atmospheric oxygen during its flight through the atmosphere, which will greatly reduce the total thruster required to place a satellite in orbit.
Also, if those vehicles are made reusable, the cost of launching satellites will drop significantly. Therefore, the future reusable launch vehicle concept coupled with air-breathing propulsion is an exciting candidate offering routine access to space at a much lower cost.
A-Sat capabilities
A hypersonic vehicle / missile also has the potential to increase India’s anti-satellite (A-Sat) capabilities. The country, on March 27, 2019, successfully conducted an A-Sat missile test in an operation codenamed ‘Mission Shakti’, making it the fourth country after the United States, China and Russia in demonstrate such ability.
The interceptor missile was a three-stage missile with two solid rocket propellants. Not only does the A-Sat add to India’s strategic force of protecting space assets, it is also a game changer that will add to the abilities to tackle incoming high altitude missiles.
India has a long BMD program with multiple missiles in its arsenal. But as of today those missiles cannot intercept a target at such an altitude. Experts believe that the A-Sat can help our forces deal with incoming missiles at higher altitudes, which is a great advantage.
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