DRDL Achieves Breakthrough in Hypersonic Missile Engine Tests

12 Jan 2026 CW Team

The Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has recently achieved a major milestone in the development of hypersonic missile technology. The laboratory successfully conducted a long-duration ground test of its Actively Cooled Scramjet Full Scale Combustor, recording a run time of over 12 minutes at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) Facility on 9 January 2026.

This achievement builds on an earlier successful subscale long-duration test carried out in April 2025 and represents a significant advancement in India’s hypersonic cruise missile programme. The combustor and the associated test facility were designed and developed by DRDL and realised with support from industry partners.

A hypersonic cruise missile is capable of travelling at speeds exceeding Mach 5, or more than 6,100 km per hour, for sustained durations. This capability is enabled by an advanced air-breathing scramjet engine that uses supersonic combustion. The recent ground tests at the SCPT facility validated both the design of the full-scale scramjet combustor and the performance of the state-of-the-art testing infrastructure.

Rajnath Singh, Raksha Mantri, congratulated DRDO, its industry partners and academia on the successful test, describing it as a strong foundation for the nation’s hypersonic cruise missile development programme.

Samir V Kamat, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO, also commended the teams involved for the achievement, highlighting its importance in strengthening India’s advanced aerospace and defence capabilities.

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