In a major upgrade for India's hypersonic missile programme, the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently announced the successful long-duration test of an actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor.
According to the defence ministry, the "path-breaking milestone" has placed India at the forefront of advanced aerospace capabilities and continuously emerging war technologies.
The test achieved a continuous run-time of over 1,200 seconds (20 minutes), validating the engine's ability to sustain extreme thermal loads required for hypersonic cruise missiles.
In January, the DRDO had achieved a run time of over 12 minutes in the test, building upon the earlier subscale test conducted on April 25, 2025, for long duration.
"A run-time of over 1,200 seconds was achieved at the state-of-the-art scramjet connect pipe test (SCPT) facility in Hyderabad on May 9, building upon the earlier successful test of over 700 seconds conducted in January this year," the defence ministry stated.
The scramjet (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) is the engine that allows a missile to sustain speeds above Mach 5. By sustaining combustion for 20 minutes, the DRDO has proved that India is moving towards sustained operational capability. The test also signals that India may be transitioning from hypersonic technology demonstration to the weaponisation of the tech.
"The remarkable feat is achieved through a cutting-edge supersonic air-breathing engine, which utilises indigenously developed liquid hydrocarbon endothermic fuel, high-temperature thermal barrier coating and advanced manufacturing processes," the defence ministry said in a release.
The ground-tests have successfully validated the design of the advanced active cooled scramjet combustor as well as the capabilities of state-of-art test facility, the ministry added.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the achievement as a solid foundation for the nation’s Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme.