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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted a Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (Scramjet) engine ground test, advancing India's hypersonic missile tech.
Scramjet Engine
A scramjet engine (Air-breathing engines) is an advanced ramjet that uses supersonic airflow for combustion, enabling faster speeds.
It uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for thrust, offering better fuel efficiency.
Unlike a turbojet engine, ramjets and scramjets have no moving parts, consisting only of an inlet, combustor (with fuel injector and flame holder), and a nozzle.
Scramjets are key to hypersonic vehicles to handle airflows at speeds above the speed of sound
Hypersonic Missiles
Traveling at speeds greater than Mach 5 (over 5,400 km/h), bypass air defences with high-speed, high-impact strikes.
These missiles are also more maneuverable, which allows them to more easily evade air defence systems.
The two types of hypersonic weapons systems are Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGV) and Hypersonic Cruise Missiles.
The HGVs are launched from a rocket before gliding to the intended target
HCMs are powered by air-breathing high-speed engines or ‘scramjets’ after acquiring their target.
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