HSTDV is intended to attain autonomous scramjet flight for 20 seconds, using a solid rocket launch booster. The research will also inform India’s interest in reusable launch vehicles. The eventual target is to reach Mach 6 at an altitude of 32.5 km.

A mock-up of the HSTDV was shown at the Aero India exhibition in Bengaluru in February 2023.

Israel has provided some assistance on the HSTDV program, including wind tunnel testing, as has Cranfield University of the U.K. According to a report, Russia has provided critical help in the project. India’s main defence-industrial partner is Russia, which has carried out considerable research into hypersonic propulsion.

In the 12 June 2019 test, the cruise vehicle was mounted on an Agni-I solid rocket motor to take it to the required altitude. After the required altitude was reached and the Mach was achieved, the cruise vehicle was ejected out of the launch vehicle. Mid-air the scramjet engine was auto-ignited, and propelled the cruise vehicle at Mach 6.

Hypersonic Glide Vehicle

DRDO is developing a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) as part of its Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). The HGV is a vehicle that is carried to high altitude by a rocket booster and then glides to its target at hypersonic speeds.

The HGV is still in the development stage, but it has already achieved some significant milestones. In 2020, the DRDO successfully tested a scramjet engine that could be used to power the HGV. The engine was tested at speeds of up to Mach 5.

The DRDO is also developing a number of other technologies that will be needed for the HGV, including:

• A guidance system that will allow the HGV to hit its target with precision.

• A thermal protection system that will protect the HGV from the heat of hypersonic flight.

• A control system that will allow the HGV to manoeuvre during flight.

The DRDO expects to complete the development of the HGV in the next few years. Once the HGV is developed, it will be a major addition to India’s arsenal of strategic weapons.

The HGV is expected to have a range of up to 3,000 kilometers. It is expected to be able to fly at speeds of up to Mach 10 and be capable of carrying a conventional or nuclear warhead.

Scramjet Engine

The DRDO is developing an actively cooled scramjet engine for a long duration propulsion system for hypersonic vehicles.

The actively cooled scramjet engine is a significant improvement over conventional scramjet engines. It uses a system of internal and external cooling to prevent the engine from overheating at hypersonic speeds. This allows the engine to operate for longer periods of time, which is essential for long-range hypersonic weapons and vehicles.

The DRDO’s actively cooled scramjet engine is still in the development stage, but it has already achieved some significant milestones. In 2021, the engine successfully completed a series of ground tests at DRDL. The engine is expected to be flight tested in the near future.

The scramjet engine is being designed to operate at speeds of up to Mach 5. It is being cooled by a system of internal and external cooling channels. It is being made from high-temperature materials that can withstand the heat of hypersonic flight. The engine is being designed to be modular, so that it can be easily adapted to different hypersonic vehicles.

Scramjet Testing

On 7 September 2020 DRDO successfully tested the scramjet powered Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV). At 30 km altitude payload fairing separated, followed by separation of HSTDV cruise vehicle, air-intake opening, fuel injection and auto-ignition. After sustaining hypersonic combustion for 20 seconds, cruise vehicle achieved velocity of nearly 2 km per second. This test flight validated aerodynamic configuration of vehicle, ignition and sustained combustion of scramjet engine at hypersonic flow, separation mechanisms and characterised thermo-structural materials.

Fuels for Hypersonic Applications

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India is developing endothermic fuels for hypersonic applications. Endothermic fuels are those that absorb heat during combustion, which can help to improve the performance of hypersonic vehicles.

DRDO is working on a number of different endothermic fuel concepts, including:

Fuels that use metal hydrides as the fuel source. Metal hydrides are compounds that release hydrogen gas when they are heated, which can then be burned to provide thrust.

Fuels that use ammonia as the fuel source. Ammonia is a relatively safe and easy-to-handle fuel that can also be used in endothermic combustion.

Fuels that use a combination of metal hydrides and ammonia. This approach could offer the best of both worlds, combining the high energy density of metal hydrides with the safety and handling characteristics of ammonia.

DRDO is still in the early stages of developing endothermic fuels for hypersonic applications, but the organization has made significant progress in recent years. If successful, these fuels could revolutionize the design and performance of hypersonic vehicles.

The research is being conducted at the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad, India. The project is being led by Dr. K. Sivan, the former director of DRDL. It is expected to be completed in the next few years.

Endothermic fuels have the potential to offer a number of advantages over traditional hypersonic fuels, including:

• Increased specific impulse, which means that the vehicle can travel farther on a given amount of fuel.

• Reduced thermal management requirements, as the fuel absorbs heat during combustion.

• Improved safety, as endothermic fuels are less likely to explode than traditional fuels.

Comments

The DRDO’s hypersonic glide vehicle is a major technological achievement. If it is successful, it could revolutionize the way that India fights wars.

If the DRDO’s actively cooled scramjet engine is successful, it could have a major impact on the future of hypersonic weapons and vehicles. These engines could make hypersonic weapons more powerful and longer-range, and they could also make hypersonic vehicles safer and easier to operate.

The actively cooled scramjet engine could change the design and performance of hypersonic weapons and vehicles. Endothermic fuels for hypersonic applications could make hypersonic weapons more powerful and longer-range, and they could also make hypersonic vehicles safer and easier to operate.

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iDEX-DIO signs first contract under Mission DefSpace

Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the flagship initiative of Ministry of Defence, has reached a milestone with the signing of its 250th contract – first under Mission DefSpace – and 100th SPRINT (Navy) contract in New Delhi on May 15, 2023.

Mission DefSpace contract

The first iDEX contract of Mission DefSpace was exchanged between Additional Secretary (Defence Production) & CEO Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) Shri T Natarajan and CEO, InspeCity Shri Arindrajit Chowdhary, one of the winners of the challenge ‘Micropropulsion system for cubesats’. This challenge is being led by the Defence Space Agency.

Cubesats are a class of smallsats, which are modular; low-cost; easy to manufacture, integrate, and launch; and form a critical component for launch-on-demand capabilities. For imagery/Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance/ communication purposes, cubesats need to be precisely aligned, hence there is a requirement of a compact micropropulsion system for precise manoeuvring and orbit correction. InspeCity is developing a gas-based system for this purpose. This technology, once developed, can be integrated with other satellites, including the cubesat swarm being developed under Mission DefSpace.

Recognising the strategic significance of the space domain, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had launched Mission DefSpace with 75 Defence Space Challenges to be addressed by the private sector during DefExpo at Gandhinagar in October 2022. It aims to nurture the Indian Private Space industry through challenges addressing every stage of a space mission – from mission planning to satellite data analytics.

100th SPRINT (Navy) contract

The 100th SPRINT (Navy) contract was exchanged between AS (DP) & CEO-DIO and CEO, Siliconia Technologies Pvt Ltd Shri Sushil Eknath Ghule. Siliconia Technologies Pvt Ltd is the winner of the Challenge which envisaged the development of a prototype that is a lightweight ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) based communication system using software defined antenna for Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit and Geostationary satellite communication. The solution by Siliconia can provide multiple independent receiver/transmitter sources that are essential in phased-array radars, typically used in satellite tracking.

Under the ‘SPRINT’ initiative, a total of 75 Challenge statements for the Indian industry were unveiled by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar ‘Swavlamban’ on July 18, 2022. The initiative aims at inducting at least 75 technologies/ products into the Indian Navy by August 2023 as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

The iDEX achieved the milestone of signing its 1st and 50th iDEX SPRINT contracts under DISC-7 in October 2022 and January 2023 respectively and within a few months the 100th SPRINT (Navy) contract was exchanged.

Till date, iDEX has received more than 7,500 applications from individual innovators, MSMEs and start-ups under various categories of challenges like DISC, Prime and Open Challenge. iDEX has also been able to generate thousands of jobs and attract India’s talent back to the country.

The iDEX is working at a path-breaking pace to ensure that its agreements with the start-ups and innovators reach logical conclusions timely, eventually opening a myriad of options for the budding, soon to be unicorns and at the same time addressing the requirement of Services.

The iDEX framework was launched by the Prime Minister in 2018 with the objective to provide the platform of co-creation & co-development in the defence sector. It aims to engage start-ups to contribute to the defence sector and develop defence and aerospace setup in the country. iDEX is being implemented by DIO, established under the Department of Defence Production, MoD.

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UK newspaper Financial Times, reported on 16 October, that China on July 27 and again on August 13, tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle, raising concern in Washington about Beijing’s advancing military capabilities. The vehicle circled the globe in low-orbit space before speeding towards its target. Hypersonic speeds are 5 or more times the speed of sound. The test has caught US intelligence by surprise, since the Pentagon the US had no information about China’s demonstrated capability.

A hypersonic glide vehicle launched by China fired the projectile over the South China Sea while moving at five times the speed of sound, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the intelligence.

Some military experts believe an air-to-air missile was fired, the newspaper said. Others thought it was a countermeasure that could hurt the ability of missile defence systems to knock out the hypersonic weapon, which can carry a nuclear warhead, in a battle.

“The missile missed its target by about two-dozen miles, according to three people briefed on the intelligence. But two said the test showed that China had made astounding progress on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than US officials realised. The test has raised new questions about why the US often underestimated China’s military modernisation,” the report said.

Chinese Statement

The FT report cited a security official, and another Chinese security expert close to the People’s Liberation Army, as saying the weapon was being developed by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA), under the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation that makes missile systems and rockets for China’s space programme. Both sources reportedly said the vehicle was launched on a Long March rocket, which is used for the space programme.

China’s Foreign Ministry said in October the nation had tested “a routine spacecraft” to see if it was reusable. In an apparent effort to dismiss the idea the spacecraft launched anything, its spokesman added: “After separating from the spacecraft before its return, the supporting devices will burn up when they are falling in the atmosphere.”

The report quotes the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology as saying on an official social media account on July 19 that it had launched a Long March 2C rocket, its 77th launch. On August 24, it announced a 79th flight. But there was no announcement of a 78th launch, which sparked speculation about a secret launch, the report notes.

The Implications

The weapon could, in theory, fly over the South Pole. challenging for the US military because its missile defence systems are focused on the northern polar route.

If China’s tests of hypersonic weapons are confirmed, it would suggest that President Xi Jinping may be exploring orbital strikes as a way to counter American advancements in shooting down ballistic missiles before they can threaten the US homeland. Last year, the US Navy successfully intercepted a mock intercontinental ballistic missile.

“The US, Russia and China are all developing hypersonic weapons, including glide vehicles that are launched into space on a rocket but orbit the earth under their own momentum,” the report said.

Most of the hypersonic vehicles primarily use the scramjet technology. This extremely complex technology, which also needs to be able to handle high temperatures, makes the hypersonic systems extremely costly. It is all about how long can you sustain the systems at those extreme conditions. Scramjets are a category of engines designed to handle airflows of speeds in multiples of the speed of sound.

Mystery Deepens

Until now, reports had described a glide vehicle of the type intended to travel into space and traverse the globe in an orbital-like fashion before making its run through the atmosphere toward its target, what’s known as a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System, or FOBS. In common with certain Cold War-era concepts, FOBS offers key advantages in that it can launch strikes from the opposite direction that a large amount of existing early warning infrastructure is aimed at, doing so in a flight profile that is lower than what those systems are geared to provide early warning for.

Aside from the FOBS capability, a hypersonic glide vehicle already offers a less predictable flight path than what traditional ballistic missiles can provide, with the ability to make manoeuvres within the atmosphere. This includes during its run-in to its target, making it even harder to detect and defend against.

In an interview with CBS News, predating the latest revelation, General John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the July 27 test as having involved “a long-range missile.” Hyten added: “It went around the world, dropped off a hypersonic glide vehicle that glided all the way back to China, that impacted a target in China.”

On the other hand, the White House declined to provide a comment on the FT story, instead offering a blanket statement on the original July 27 test, which it described as “concerning to us as it should be to all who seek peace and stability in the region and beyond.” Also approached by the newspaper for comment was the Chinese Embassy in London, which denied any knowledge of the weapons test having taken place.

DARPA experts are “unsure how China managed to fire countermeasures from a vehicle traveling at hypersonic speeds.” While the release of objects from vehicles flying at hypersonic speeds is an established practice in space — with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for example — the difference here is the claim that the payload was released in the atmosphere.

Atmospheric release of a payload at hypersonic speeds by a glide vehicle could well be indicative of a significant technological breakthrough, especially if it involved a guided missile. Either way, this kind of feat is by no means easy to achieve without destabilizing the mothership glider as it careens through the sky at thousands of miles per hour.

With all this in mind, it seems clear we have no real idea, at this stage, of what was ejected from the hypersonic vehicle, and for what reason. The FT adds that whatever was launched had “no obvious target of its own, before plunging into the [South China Sea].”

However, the latest revelations, on the surface at least, do seem to suggest the possibility of some type of reusable vehicle with a payload capability, perhaps similar to proposals for a bomber version of the U.S. Air Force’s X-20 Dyna-Soar that was developed by Boeing during the 1960s. This possibility now seems to be gaining ground among nuclear policy experts, as well.

Whatever the truth might be behind China’s July 27 test, and Beijing’s emerging hypersonic technologies — which include the in-service DF-17 that also makes use of a hypersonic glide vehicle — it’s clear that the country’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Forces (PLARF) are making significant strides across a range of capabilities, including an apparently fast-expanding ICBM force.

Research in India

Hypersonic technology has been developed and tested by both DRDO and ISRO. Last September, DRDO successfully flight-tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), with a capability to travel at 6 times the speed of sound. A solid rocket motor of Agni missile took it to an altitude of 30 km where the cruise vehicle separated as planned. The hypersonic combustion sustained and the cruise vehicle continued on its desired flight path at a velocity of six times the speed of sound for more than 20 seconds.

“The scramjet engine performed in a text book manner. With this successful demonstration, many critical technologies such as aerodynamic configuration for hypersonic manoeuvres, use of scramjet propulsion for ignition and sustained combustion at hypersonic flow, thermo-structural characterisation of high temperature materials, separation mechanism at hypersonic velocities etc. were proven.” DRDO had said in a statement.

Last December, an advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility of the DRDO was inaugurated in Hyderabad. It is a pressure vacuum-driven, enclosed free jet facility that simulates Mach 5 to 12.

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The HSTDV performed on all parameters, including combustion chamber pressure, air intake and control guidance. “The engine performed in a textbook manner,” the DRDO said in a media release. The successful flight of the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle involved multiple critical technologies such as hypersonic manoeuvres, air-breathing propulsion and high temperature materials, among others. 

With the test, India became the fourth country after the United States, Russia and China to develop and successfully test hypersonic technology. This test means that the DRDO will have the capacity to develop a hypersonic missile with scramjet engine in next five years, which will have the capacity to travel at more than two kilometres per second.

ALSO READ: DEFENCE RESEARCH: Nuclear-capable Shaurya Missile Tested

Hypersonic flying vehicles have potential applications in weapons-delivery systems such as missiles with extended range and in futuristic spaceplanes for low-cost satellite launches.

The DRDO had attempted a technology demonstrator flight, in June 2019, but the test had failed as the launch rocket itself did not reach the desired altitude.

There, the cruise vehicle separated from the rocket, began to “breathe” air, activated onboard ignition and achieved sustained combustion — driven by oxygen from air and a reservoir of hydrocarbon fuel — to fly at six times the speed of sound.

Hypersonic flying vehicles are delivery platforms capable of both manoeuvring and flying faster than five times the speed of sound.

These two features — manoeuverability and speed — enable hypersonic missiles to penetrate most missile defences, compressing the timelines for a response by a nation under attack.

A key advantage of air-breathing engines is that they do not need to carry fuel and an oxidiser as do all conventional rockets. The engine uses oxygen from the air inflight. This means a lower launch weight — a feature that can also be used to extend the range of missiles.

Scientists believe hypersonic vehicles could also find use in spaceplanes for which conceptual studies have been under way in India for more than two decades. The long-term goal would be a reusable spaceplane — a vehicle that can return for repeated launches — that would help lower the cost of launching satellites.

Significance of the test

The DRDO said in a series of tweets, “In a historic mission today, India successfully flight tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle, a giant leap in indigenous defence technologies and significant milestone towards a Sashakt Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat. DRDO with this mission, has demonstrated capabilities for highly complex technology that will serve as the building block for NextGen Hypersonic vehicles in partnership with industry.”

ALSO READ: DEFENCE RESEARCH: Chinese Aggression Prompts 8 Missile Tests

In the test which was conducted, on 7 September, the Agni missile was used. A solid rocket motor of Agni missile was used to take to an altitude of 30 kilometers where the cruise vehicle separated from the launch vehicle and the air intake opened as planned. The parameters of the test were monitored by multiple tracking radars, electro-optical systems and telemetry stations and a ship was also deployed in the Bay of Bengal to monitor the performance during the cruise phase of hypersonic vehicle.

A senior DRDO scientist said that though the system was tested for a very short duration, it has given scientists a large set of data points to work on for further development. The indegenous development of the technology will also boost the development of the systems built with hypersonic vehicles at its core, including both offensive and defensive hypersonic cruise missile systems and also in the space sector.

Scientists believe that while the successful test is a major milestone, many more rounds of tests will have to be done to achieve the level of technology with countries like the US, Russia and China.

About Scramjets

The scramjets are a variant of a category of jet engines called the air breathing engines. The ability of engines to handle airflows of speeds in multiples of speed of sound, gives it a capability of operating at those speeds.

Hypersonic speeds are those which are five times or more than the speed of sound. The unit tested by the DRDO can achieve up to six times the speed of sound or Mach 6, which is well over 7000 kilometers per hour or around two kilometers per second.

For the test, the hypersonic combustion sustained and the cruise vehicle continued on its desired flight path at a velocity of Mach 6 for a period of 20 seconds. “The critical events like fuel injection and auto ignition of scramjet demonstrated technological maturity. The scramjet engine performed in a text book manner.” The DRDO said. While the technology helps achieve hypersonic speeds, it comes with its set of disadvantages, and the obvious one being its very high cost and high thrust-to-weight ratio.

Development of the Technology

The DRDO started on the development of the engine in early 2010s. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has also worked on the development of the technology and has successfully tested a system in 2016. DRDO too has conducted a test of this system in June 2019.

The special project of the DRDO consisted of contributions from its multiple facilities including the Pune headquartered Armament and Combat Engineering Cluster. At the hypersonic speeds, the system has tohandle temperatures to the range of 2500 degrees Celsius as well as the air speed, and thus development of the material is one of the main challenges.

DRDO Offers Free Access to Patents to Start-ups, SMEs

The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has opened up its huge pool of intellectual property by offering 1,500 patents to entrepreneurs free of cost.

“To give a big boost for defence manufacturing in the country, the DRDO is offering 1,500 of its patents, including critical missile technology, life sciences, and naval technology for free to entrepreneurs that might want to build products,” said G Satheesh Reddy, Chairman of DRDO.

He was delivering the special address at the inaugural of the two-day webinar on ‘Invest in Telangana: Opportunities in Post Covid World’ on 27 August.

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