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DRDO hopes to test fly hypersonic plane by early next year
BANGALORE (BNS): DRDO expects to test fly India’s indigenous hypersonic technology demonstrator vehicle (HSDTV) by early next year, the defence agency’s Chief V K Saraswat said Friday.
“We have conducted ground testing of the vehicle for nearly 20 seconds. It has performed well. We are hopeful to flight test it by early next year at Mach 6-7 speed,” Saraswat told reporters during Aero India 2011.
“India has been working on the technology demonstration project for the last five to six years. Only the US and Australia have expertise in this area in the world,” the DRDO chief said.
The highly ambitious HSDTV programme involves the development of a hypersonic plane that would travel six to seven times faster than the speed of sound. It would attain autonomous scramjet flight for 20 seconds, using a solid rocket launch booster.
While the stated objective of the programme is to reduce the cost of putting payloads in outer space, it could eventually lead to India building a highly powerful hypersonic cruise missile system for its defence forces.
DRDO, which has in the past conducted extensive research and trials for the programme in India and abroad, had earlier targeted to flight test the vehicle in 2008. But the time scheduled spilled to the end of 2010.
A number of countries, including the US, China, Russia and Japan are working on hypersonic technology vehicles that could be used for several purposes, including development of cruise missiles or reconnaissance aircraft for military use or for space missions.
Last year, the US had test flown its X-51A Waverider – an experimental hypersonic plane under development. The flight lasted for over 200 seconds with the plane reaching an altitude of 70,000 feet and a top speed of Mach 6
BANGALORE (BNS): DRDO expects to test fly India’s indigenous hypersonic technology demonstrator vehicle (HSDTV) by early next year, the defence agency’s Chief V K Saraswat said Friday.
“We have conducted ground testing of the vehicle for nearly 20 seconds. It has performed well. We are hopeful to flight test it by early next year at Mach 6-7 speed,” Saraswat told reporters during Aero India 2011.
“India has been working on the technology demonstration project for the last five to six years. Only the US and Australia have expertise in this area in the world,” the DRDO chief said.
The highly ambitious HSDTV programme involves the development of a hypersonic plane that would travel six to seven times faster than the speed of sound. It would attain autonomous scramjet flight for 20 seconds, using a solid rocket launch booster.
While the stated objective of the programme is to reduce the cost of putting payloads in outer space, it could eventually lead to India building a highly powerful hypersonic cruise missile system for its defence forces.
DRDO, which has in the past conducted extensive research and trials for the programme in India and abroad, had earlier targeted to flight test the vehicle in 2008. But the time scheduled spilled to the end of 2010.
A number of countries, including the US, China, Russia and Japan are working on hypersonic technology vehicles that could be used for several purposes, including development of cruise missiles or reconnaissance aircraft for military use or for space missions.
Last year, the US had test flown its X-51A Waverider – an experimental hypersonic plane under development. The flight lasted for over 200 seconds with the plane reaching an altitude of 70,000 feet and a top speed of Mach 6
