India’s state-funded DRDO has today successfully flight tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) using the domestically-developed scramjet propulsion system, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Monday.
The development will pave the way for the development of a hypersonic cruise missile which will have a speed of over Mach 6.5. It will have multiple civilian applications, including the launching of low-cost satellite and long-range cruise missile.
The @DRDO_India has today successfully flight tested the Hypersonic Technology Demontrator Vehicle using the indigenously developed scramjet propulsion system. With this success, all critical technologies are now established to progress to the next phase.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 7, 2020
"With this success, all critical technologies are now established to progress to the next phase", Rajnath Singh said while terming it a "landmark achievement" towards realising PM's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India).
The successful completion of this phase of HSTDV test comes more than a year after the anti-satellite missile test "Mission Shakti".
On 27 March 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the first-ever test of an anti-satellite missile which had successfully engaged an Indian orbiting target satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in "Hit to Kill" mode. The test demonstrated India's "capability to defend its assets in outer space", he asserted.
