The test was carried out by the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad- a key laboratory under Defence Research and Development Organisation.
India achieved a major milestone in hypersonic weapons development after the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a long-duration ground test of a full-scale, actively cooled scramjet engine, a critical technology for hypersonic cruise missiles.
The test was carried out by the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad- a key laboratory under Defence Research and Development Organisation- at its Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) facility. According to the Ministry of Defence, the engine achieved a sustained runtime of over 12 minutes, marking a path-breaking achievement in India’s hypersonic missile programme.
The successful test builds on an earlier long-duration subscale scramjet test conducted on April 25, 2025 and represents a crucial step towards the development of operational hypersonic cruise missiles. The full-scale combustor and the specialised test facility were designed and developed in-house by Defence Research & Development Laboratory, with fabrication and realisation supported by Indian industry partners.
Hypersonic cruise missiles are capable of flying at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound- over 6,100 kilometres per hour- for extended durations. This capability is enabled by advanced air-breathing scramjet engines, which use supersonic combustion to sustain high-speed atmospheric flight. The latest ground test validated both the advanced scramjet combustor design and the performance of the SCPT facility, the Defence Ministry said.
Congratulating the teams involved, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the successful test provides a “solid foundation” for India’s Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme. He also lauded the contribution of DRDO scientists, industry partners and academia in achieving the milestone.