India’s First Scramjet Engine Test Pushes Hypersonic Development

India’s Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) has tested a scramjet engine combustor, taking a crucial step in hypersonic missile development.

Several achievements were reached during the two-minute ground test, including ignition and stable combustion.

A Supersonic Combustion Ramjet, or Scramjet, is an air-breathing engine that sustains combustion at supersonic speeds without moving parts.

It is an upgrade on the Ramjet air-breathing engine, wherein the airflow is slowed to subsonic speeds before combustion.

Scramjets are used for hypersonic weapons, which travel at over Mach 5 or more than 5,400 kilometers/3,355 miles per hour.

The ground test follows the first test flight of a hypersonic missile by India in November, catapulting the nuclear-armed nation into a select group of nations.

‘Candle in a Hurricane’

Several iterations of “ignition & flame holding techniques” were studied and ground tested before zeroing in on the desired configuration.

It is akin to “keeping a candle lit in a hurricane,” an Indian Ministry of Defence press release said about the technology.

“Scramjet combustor incorporates an innovative flame stabilisation technique that holds continuous flame inside the combustor with air speed in excess of 1.5 kilometer/second,” it further explained.

India conducts Active Cooled Scramjet Combustor ground test. Indian Ministry of Defence

Key Achievements

An indigenously-developed endothermic scramjet fuel was crucial for the breakthrough, as it helps improve cooling and ease of ignition.

Another important achievement is the development of a state-of-the-art Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC), which is designed to resist extreme heat during hypersonic flight.

“A new advanced ceramic TBC having high thermal resistance & capable of operating beyond the melting point of steel has been jointly developed by DRDL and Department of Science & Technology Laboratory,” the Ministry of Defence explained.

“The coating is applied inside the Scramjet engine using special deposition methods that enhance their performance and longevity.”

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