Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
♦ The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a long-duration ground test of an actively cooled, full-scale scramjet engine. The test, held at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) facility of the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad, achieved a runtime of over 12 minutes. ♦ The achievement builds on a sub-scale long-duration test conducted on April 25, 2025, and is seen as a critical step in the country’s Hypersonic Cruise Missile programme. Both the combustor and the test facility were designed and developed by DRDL and realised with support from industry partners. ♦ The successful run positions India among a small group of nations with advanced hypersonic capabilities. Hypersonic cruise missiles are designed to sustain speeds exceeding Mach 5 — more than 6,100 km/hr — using air-breathing engines that rely on supersonic combustion to maintain extended flight durations. The latest tests have validated the combustor design and showcased the capabilities of the SCPT facility.