India moves ahead in hypersonic missile technology after DRDO’s latest test

India’s hypersonic missile development programme received a major boost after the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Saturday announced the successful long-duration test of an actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor.

The Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based laboratory of DRDO, conducted the extensive ground test at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) Facility in Hyderabad on May 09, 2026.

According to the defence ministry, the test achieved a run-time of over 1,200 seconds. The latest trial builds on an earlier successful test of over 700 seconds conducted in January this year.

The ministry described the development as a “path-breaking milestone” in India’s hypersonic missile programme and said the successful test has placed India at the forefront of advanced aerospace capabilities and emerging war technologies.

For any hypersonic missile programme, active cooling technology is considered crucial as it allows the weapon system to travel hundreds of miles at extremely high speeds while managing intense thermal conditions generated during flight.

The combustor has been designed and developed by DRDL and realised with support from industry partners.

The defence ministry said the achievement was made possible through a supersonic air-breathing engine that uses indigenously developed liquid hydrocarbon endothermic fuel, high-temperature thermal barrier coating and advanced manufacturing processes.

It added that the ground tests conducted at the SCPT facility successfully validated both the design of the advanced actively cooled scramjet combustor and the capabilities of the state-of-the-art testing facility.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, industry partners and academia on the successful ground test of the full-scale actively cooled long-duration scramjet engine.

He described the achievement as “a solid foundation for the nation’s Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Program”.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DRDO chairman Samir V Kamat also congratulated the teams associated with the test.