In a major boost to India’s hypersonic weapons programme, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a landmark ground test of an active-cooled scramjet combustor for over 1,000 seconds. The test carried out at DRDO’s newly established Scramjet Combustor Test Facility in Hyderabad marks a significant step toward developing indigenous hypersonic cruise missile systems.
The Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), a key DRDO lab based in Hyderabad, led the long-duration test—its second in the scramjet series—following an earlier successful run of 120 seconds in January 2025. With this achievement, the combustor system is now poised for transition to full-scale flight-worthy testing.
Hypersonic cruise missiles, powered by air-breathing engines capable of supersonic combustion, can sustain speeds over Mach 5 (more than 6,100 km/h) for extended durations. DRDO’s success not only validates the long-duration performance of the scramjet combustor but also demonstrates the operational readiness of its cutting-edge ground test facility.
The test outcome is seen as a pivotal advancement in India’s pursuit of hypersonic missile capabilities and results from a collaborative effort between DRDO, Indian industry, and academia.
India takes a major leap in #HypersonicTech!
DRDL, a Hyderabad based lab under @DRDO_India, successfully completed 1000+ sec ground test of Active Cooled Scramjet Combustor at its new #Scramjet Connect Test Facility. This paves the way for flight-worthy #HypersonicCruiseMissile… pic.twitter.com/9NwvvheehD
— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) April 25, 2025
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the teams involved, calling the test a “remarkable achievement” and a testament to the government’s commitment to mastering critical hypersonic technologies.
DRDO Chairman Samir V. Kamat also lauded the team’s accomplishment, commending Director General (Missiles & Strategic Systems) U. Raja Babu, DRDL Director G.A. Srinivasa Murthy, and the scientists and engineers for successfully demonstrating supersonic combustion over a sustained duration using advanced indigenous technology.
Team BharatShakti
