DRDO conducts successful flight test of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet technology

The successful demonstration of the SFDR technology will enable DRDO to develop long-range air to air missiles

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Friday successfully conducted a flight test of solid fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR) technology from a test range in Odisha, official sources said.

During the test all subsystems including the ground booster motor have performed as expected, the DRDO said.

The successful demonstration of SFDR technology has provided DRDO the technological advantage which will enable it to develop long range air-to-air missiles.

At present only a handful of countries have the technology, it said.

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The test on Friday was carried out at around 10.30 am from the integrated test range (ITR) launch platform at Chandipur, they said.

During the flight test, air launch scenario was simulated using a booster motor. Subsequently, the nozzle-less booster accelerated it to the required Mach number for Ramjet operation, the DRDO said.

The performance of the missile was monitored using the data captured by electro optical, radar and telemetry instruments deployed by ITR and confirmed successful demonstration of the mission objectives, it said.

The launch was monitored by senior scientists of various DRDO labs, including Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Research Centre Imarat and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, the sources said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the scientists of DRDO, Indian Air Force and the industry on the successful flight test of SFDR.

The secretary to the department of defence research and development and DRDO chairman G Satheesh Reddy too congratulated the team which wass involved in the flight test, the sources added.