Hyderabad, Apr 25 (PTI) The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), a unit of DRDO, on Friday conducted a long-duration ground test of an Active Cooled Scramjet Subscale Combustor for over 1,000 seconds at the newly built, state-of-the-art Scramjet Connect Test Facility in Hyderabad.

Describing the test as a significant milestone in hypersonic weapon technology, DRDO said this ground test follows an earlier one conducted for 120 seconds in January this year.

Also Read | Shivpuri: Unidentified Heavy Metallic Object From Sky Falls on House in Madhya Pradesh, Police Summons Airforce Experts (Watch Video).

With the successful completion of this test, the system will soon be ready for full-scale, flight-worthy combustor testing, an official release said.

Scramjets are air-breathing engines capable of sustaining combustion at supersonic speeds without using any moving parts.

Also Read | Reliance Retail Q4 Profit: Reliance Retail Venture Limited Reports 29% Rise in Net Profit to INR 3,545 Crore; FY25 Gross Revenue Hits INR 3.30 Lakh Crore.

Hypersonic cruise missiles, a class of advanced weaponry, can travel at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (over 6,100 km/h) for extended durations, powered by air-breathing engines.

Air-breathing propulsion systems with supersonic combustion are crucial for sustained high-speed cruise conditions.

“This test validates the design of the long-duration scramjet combustor as well as the test facility. It is the result of integrated efforts by DRDO laboratories in collaboration with industry and academia, laying a strong foundation for the nation's hypersonic cruise missile development programme,” the release stated.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the achievement as a reflection of the government's strong commitment to realising critical hypersonic weapon technologies and congratulated DRDO, industry partners, and academia for their remarkable success.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman, Dr Samir V Kamat, also congratulated Director General (Missiles & Strategic Systems) U Raja Babu, DRDL Director G A Srinivasa Murthy, and the entire team for demonstrating supersonic combustion for over 1,000 seconds using cutting-edge technologies, the release added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)