Context:
DRDO recently conducted a successful long-duration ground test of an advanced scramjet combustor for India’s hypersonic cruise missile programme. The technology is intended to power missiles capable of travelling at speeds exceeding Mach 5 using sustained air-breathing propulsion.
- Hypersonic weapons travel at speeds greater than Mach 5, i.e., over five times the speed of sound.
- Hypersonic cruise missiles generally use scramjet (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) engines for sustained high-speed flight.
- A scramjet is an air-breathing engine where combustion occurs while airflow remains supersonic inside the engine.
- Unlike conventional rockets, scramjets use atmospheric oxygen, reducing onboard oxidiser requirements.
- Hypersonic systems offer high manoeuvrability, lower reaction time, and difficulty in interception by missile defence systems.
- Thermal management is a major challenge because hypersonic flight generates extremely high temperatures due to atmospheric friction.
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Scramjet Technology and India’s Hypersonic Missile Capability