NEW DELHI: India marked a major milestone in its hypersonic weapons programme Saturday, with the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) successfully running a full scale actively cooled scramjet combustor for over 1,200 seconds or 20 minutes, at its Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) Facility in Hyderabad.
The latest test builds on a rapid progression from the initial 120 second combustor run in January 2025 to a 1,000 plus second subscale test in April 2025 and a full scale run of over 12 minutes in January this year.
“This successful test marks a major milestone in India’s pursuit of advanced aerospace and hypersonic technologies,” the government said in a statement.
The combustor uses an indigenously developed liquid hydrocarbon endothermic fuel that absorbs heat before combustion to manage extreme temperatures, along with high temperature thermal barrier coatings and advanced manufacturing techniques.
Active cooling, in which fuel is circulated through channels within the combustor walls, allows the engine to sustain hypersonic combustion for extended durations without structural failure.
Hypersonic cruise missiles must sustain speeds exceeding Mach 5 or over 6,100 kmph, using air breathing scramjet engines where combustion occurs at supersonic airflow speeds, leaving only milliseconds for fuel injection, mixing and ignition.
Managing aerodynamic heating, which can push temperatures beyond 2,000 degrees Celsius, has long been the central obstacle separating demonstration from operationalisation.
India’s hypersonic journey began in earnest with ISRO’s twin scramjet engine test in August 2016, followed by DRDO’s Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV).
After an unsuccessful attempt in June 2019, DRDO achieved a successful flight test on September 2020, when the scramjet powered vehicle sustained Mach 6 flight for around 20 seconds from Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha.
Russia and China have fielded or demonstrated multiple hypersonic systems, including glide vehicles and cruise missiles, while the United States continues to pursue several air breathing hypersonic programmes.
Russia’s Zircon is already reported to be in operational service, while China has demonstrated both hypersonic glide vehicle and cruise missile capabilities. The United States conducted a second successful flight of a recoverable hypersonic test vehicle in March 2025.
