DRDO Achieves 1,200-second Scramjet Combustor Test

9 May 2026National

DRDO's DRDL achieved a run-time of over 1,200 seconds (20 minutes) in an actively cooled full-scale scramjet combustor test in Hyderabad, a foundation for India's Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme.

ShareWhatsApp Telegram

More International Current Affairs

DRDO and University of Hyderabad Win Patent for Next-Generation Rocket Propellant BAM-H24

DRDO and the Advanced Centre of Research in High Energy Materials (ACRHEM) at the University of Hyderabad secured an Indian patent for BAM-H24, a next-generation solid rocket propellant fuel. The Patent Office granted Patent No. 599900 on 20 August 2026 on an application filed in December 2022. Developed by Dr Muddamarri Hanumantha Rao and Prof Muralidharan Krishnamurthi, BAM-H24 is a boron-, hydrogen- and nitrogen-rich energetic compound usable as a solid rocket fuel, fuel additive and burn-rate accelerator. It offers high chemical and thermal stability, low impact and friction sensitivity, non-hygroscopic behaviour, high specific impulse and reduced ignition delay for missiles and space launch vehicles.

GK ByteDRDO was established in 1958 and is headquartered in New Delhi; it functions under the Department of Defence R&D, Ministry of Defence | The University of Hyderabad is a central university established in 1974 | Specific impulse is the standard measure of rocket propellant efficiency, expressed in seconds

📅 6 Sept 2026InternationalRead complete →

Bharat Forge Arm KSSL and Thales Sign Pact to Produce 70-mm Rocket Systems in India

Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL), the wholly-owned defence subsidiary of Bharat Forge Limited, signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement with French defence major Thales Group in September 2026 to build industrial capability in India for unguided and laser-guided variants of Thales' 70-mm rocket systems. The agreement was signed during Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever's state visit to India (2–4 September 2026). The first fully India-assembled rocket system is expected in early 2027. These systems support counter-drone missions and multi-platform integration on rotary-wing platforms including the ALH-WSI and Light Combat Helicopter, and are already used by 70 armed forces across 55 countries.

GK ByteBharat Forge, part of the Kalyani Group, is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra | Thales Group is headquartered in Paris, France | The Light Combat Helicopter 'Prachand' and the Advanced Light Helicopter 'Dhruv' are built by HAL, headquartered in Bengaluru

📅 4 Sept 2026InternationalRead complete →

Rajnath Singh Releases 'RAKSHA' Defence Diplomacy Framework with 10-Year Roadmap

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released the 'RAKSHA' document on defence diplomacy in New Delhi on 3 September 2026, setting out India's vision for strengthening defence ties over the next 10 years. Its core pillars are Strategic Partnerships, Capacity Building, Indigenous Exports and Maritime Security, including consolidating India's role in the Indian Ocean Region as a Net Security Provider and First Responder. The framework shifts India from reactive to proactive defence diplomacy, aligning military engagement with foreign policy and complementing Make in India in reducing import dependence. Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh attended the release.

GK ByteThe Ministry of Defence is headquartered in South Block, New Delhi; Rajnath Singh is the Raksha Mantri | Make in India was launched in September 2014 to boost domestic manufacturing | General Dhiraj Seth is the Chief of the Army Staff; the Defence Secretary heads the Department of Defence

📅 3 Sept 2026InternationalRead complete →

IAF Successfully Drop-Tests the Indigenous Long-Range Glide Bomb 'Khagantak-243'

The Indian Air Force successfully conducted the drop trial of the indigenously designed and developed Long-Range Glide Bomb (LRGB) 'Khagantak-243', announced on 2 September 2026, meeting all mission objectives in a stand-off precision-strike programme. Khagantak-243 is a 300 kg-class airborne precision-guided glide bomb able to engage targets more than 140 km away when released from around 12,000 metres, letting fighter aircraft strike from outside heavily defended airspace. It was developed jointly by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which supplied the electronics and guidance subsystems, and private firm JSR Dynamics, which developed the bomb body and control systems. Glide bombs use aerodynamic surfaces to extend range after release.

GK ByteBEL is a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Defence, founded in 1954 and headquartered in Bengaluru | DRDO's 'Gaurav' is another Indian long-range glide bomb, tested from the Su-30 MKI | The Chief of the Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh; IAF motto 'Nabha Sparsham Deeptam'

📅 3 Sept 2026InternationalRead complete →

See all Defence →All Current Affairs