The hypersonic cruise missiles programme of India is in an advanced stage and the development trials are expected to be completed in the next three years, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Samir V. Kamat clarified.
Hypersonic missiles are a class of advanced missiles that travel at speeds greater than Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound. These missiles have the capability to bypass existing air defence systems and deliver rapid and high-impact strikes as they also feature advanced navigation systems that enable them to change their trajectory mid-flight.
Hypersonic missiles were in the news recently when Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed that it used hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles in the conflict against Israel.
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"The hypersonic glide missile is in a much more advanced stage. We have done one development trial, and we expect that in the next two to three years, we will complete all the development trials, and then it will be inducted," NDTV quoted Kamat as saying.
He noted that recently, in hypersonic cruise missiles, scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) propulsion for more than 1,000 seconds was proven.
Scramjets, which are air-breathing engines capable of sustaining combustion at supersonic speeds without using any moving parts, are key to hypersonic vehicles.
We hope the government will sanction a programme to convert this scramjet propulsion into a hypersonic cruise missile weapon system, the DRDO chief said, adding, "I estimate that it will take about five to seven years before it can be inducted," according to NDTV.
