“DRDO is actively working on upgrading India’s radar systems, including the development of advanced radars”

With several advanced technologies and weapon platforms in the pipeline, DRDO continues to embody the spirit of innovation and R&D in defence. In an Exclusive interaction, Samir V. Kamat, Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO, speaks with Manish Kumar Jha on the full and comprehensive range of military technology development, some of them futuristic and groundbreaking for India.

- Manish Kumar Jha

Manish Kumar Jha (Manish Jha): The DRDO recently broke new ground by conducting test of a scramjet engine, which will enable critical hypersonic weapon technology for India. How complex and indigenous is the scramjet engine development, and how will it be a game changer for DRDO's next generation missile advancement?

Samir V. Kamat (Kamat): Hypersonic Cruise Missile is a class of weapons that can travel more than 5 times the speed of sound (> 6100 Kmph) for long duration and is powered by scramjet i.e., Air breathing engine. Air breathing propulsion systems, having supersonic combustion, plays a critical role for long-duration cruise conditions.

DRDO achieved a significant milestone in the field of Hypersonic Weapon Technology, when it conducted long-duration Active Cooled Scramjet Subscale Combustor ground testing. The development of this scramjet engine is fully indigenous. It will be a game changer as the hypersonic missiles are very difficult to track and intercept. It gives you an assured retaliation capability, even if the other country has good air defence. The missile is difficult to detect and even if detected, it is difficult to intercept them.

We are working on two types of hypersonic missiles, hypersonic glide missile and hypersonic cruise missile. We have finished one development trial of Hypersonic glide missiles and in next 2-3 years we should be able to complete its development and will offer it to the Users.

For development of Hypersonic Cruise missiles, which is based on scramjet, we are currently proving the scramjet on the ground, and then we have to prove it in flight. Then there are other challenges in respect to the cruise missiles, and, I hope that in next five years it will get converted into weapon system. Hypersonic missiles are being flown by select few countries in the world, but they are not the hypersonic cruise missile. They are flying hypersonic glide missiles only.