Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Technology

In News: The DRDO successfully carried out a flight demonstration based on Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

• The air-to-air missiles, which use SFDR technology, can achieve longer ranges as they do not require oxidisers, among other reasons.
  • DRDO began developing SFDR first in 2017 and had conducted successful tests in 2018 and 2019 as well.

About Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)

• It is a missile propulsion system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• It is a missile propulsion system that comprises the thrust modulated ducted rocket along with the reduced smoke nozzle-less missile booster.
  • Thrust modulation of the system is achieved through a hot gas flow controller.
• It uses a solid fuelled air-breathing ramjet engine.
• It was developed with the aim of developing the critical technologies which are required in the propulsion systems of future long-range air-to-air missiles of India.

Significance

• The SFDR technology will help DRDO with the technological advantage to develop long-range air-to-air missiles (AAMs).
  • At present, such technology is available only with a handful of countries in the world and India is one of them.
• With this technology ,India can have fastest long-range missiles in two categories, providing full-fledged and multi-layered aerial protection from hostile attacks.

About Ramjet

• It is a form of air-breathing jet engine that uses the engine’s forward motion to compress incoming air without an axial compressor or a centrifugal compressor.
•  A ramjet-powered vehicle requires an assisted take-off like a rocket assist to accelerate it to a speed where it begins to produce thrust.
• Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds around Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) and can operate up to speeds of Mach 6.
• However, the ramjet efficiency starts to drop when the vehicle reaches hypersonic speeds.
• Ramjet powered missiles provide greater range and a higher average speed compared to missiles powered by solid propellants.
• ramjet missiles can carry a bigger warhead as they do not have to carry an oxidizer.

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Application

• Ramjets can be particularly useful in applications requiring a small and simple mechanism for high-speed use, such as missiles.
• They have also been used successfully, though not efficiently, as tip jets on the end of helicopter rotors.

Scramjet engine:

• A scramjet (supersonic-combustion ramjet) is a ramjet engine in which the airflow through the engine remains supersonic, or greater than the speed of sound. Scramjet powered vehicles are envisioned to operate at speeds up to at least Mach 15.
• In the chamber, the air mixes with the fuel to ignite supersonic combustion but the cruiser’s flight will be at a hypersonic speed of Mach six to seven. So it is called supersonic combustion ramjet or Scramjet.

Source: TH