Successful testing of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet technology: DRDO
Recently Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully flight tested the Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology.
- SFDR is a missile propulsion system. It consists of a low smoke nozzle-less missile booster. Along with this there is also a thrust modulated ducted rocket.
- It uses a solid fuel air breathing ramjet engine. Unlike solid propellant rockets, ramjets take oxygen from the atmosphere during flight. Thus, it is lighter in weight, and can carry more fuel with it.
- According to DRDO, a missile by SFDR-based propulsion can intercept airborne threats over very long distances at supersonic speed. SFDR helps in developing long-range air-to-air missiles.
- Ramjet is a type of air breathing jet engine. It uses the forward motion of the vehicle to compress the air coming from the front for combustion using a non-revolving compressor.
- Ramjets operate most efficiently at supersonic speeds, i.e. about Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound as a jet engine).
- It is worth mentioning that it can work up to the speed of Mach 6. However, the efficiency of the ramjet begins to decline at hypersonic speeds.
Other types of air-breathing systems:
- Scramjet (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) Engine: This is an improved version of the ramjet engine. It operates efficiently at hypersonic speed. It also has the capability of supersonic combustion.
- Dual-mode Ramjet (DMRJ): This is a type of jet engine. In this a ramjet transforms into a Scramjet at a range of Mach 4-8. This means that it can operate efficiently in both subsonic and supersonic combustible modes.
Source – The Hindu
