| DRDO Formed in 1958, it is the R&D wing of the Ministry of Defence for developing cutting-edge defence technologies and achieving self-reliance in defence. DRDO constitutes a network of around 41 laboratories for aeronautics, electronics, combat vehicles, missiles, advanced computing and simulation, etc. |
- India successfully conducted the maiden flight test of a long-range hypersonic missile with a range of 1,500 km, marking a major milestone in advanced military technology development.
- The test makes India one of the few nuclear-armed countries to develop these missiles, including the United States, China, Russia, and North Korea.
- The test was conducted by DRDO from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
- Designed for deployment across all branches of the armed forces.
- Hypersonic weapon capable of speeds of at least Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound).
- High manoeuvrability for advanced strike capabilities.
- Terminal manoeuvres and impact confirmed with high precision using data from downrange ship stations.
- It uses Air Breathing Propulsion Systems to utilise atmospheric oxygen to burn the fuel stored onboard thereby making the system much lighter, more efficient and cost-effective.
| Ramjet | Scramjet |
| A ramjet is an air-breathing jet engine that uses the vehicle’s motion to compress air without an axial compressor. | A scramjet is an advanced ramjet operating at hypersonic speeds with supersonic combustion. |
| Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber, mixed with compressed air, and ignited. | Consists of three components: a converging inlet (compresses air), a combustor (burns fuel with oxygen), and a diverging nozzle (accelerates exhaust gases). |
| Cannot produce thrust at zero airspeed; requires assisted take-off, like a rocket, to accelerate. | Uses vehicle speed to compress air in the inlet, eliminating the need for moving parts, and reducing weight and failure points. |
| Operates best at supersonic speeds; efficiency drops as it enters the hypersonic range. | Accelerates exhaust gases to hypersonic speeds through a divergent nozzle, enabling high-speed propulsion. |
- Dual Mode Ramjet (DMRJ) is an engine design where a ramjet transforms into a scramjet over Mach 4-8 range, which means, it can operate in both the subsonic and supersonic combustor mode
Dig Deeper: Read the difference between Hypersonic Cruise and Ballistic Missile technology.
