Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) soon to conduct Scramjet Combustor testing in high speed reaction flow using hydrocarbon based vitiated air heater test assembly.

A Full-Scale combustor will test for 100s and a sub-scale version will test for 400s. Flow speed up to Mach 2.5. Test will conduct at NAL High enthalpy facility.

The HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft for hypersonic speed flight. It is being developed as a carrier vehicle for hypersonic and long-range cruise missiles, and will have multiple civilian applications including the launching of small satellites at low cost. The HSTDV program is being run by the DRDO.

On 7 September 2020 DRDO successfully tested the scramjet powered Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV). Cruise vehicle was launched at 11:03 IST from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Launch Complex at Wheeler Island atop a solid booster. 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. The HSTDV is set to serve as the building block for next-generation hypersonic cruise missiles.