India joins the hypersonic missile club

New Delhi, Sep 07: India has become the fourth country to successfully test the hypersonic technology from the APJ Abdul Kalam testing range in Balasore, Odisha.

India has become the fourth country to do so after US, Russia and China. India tested the Hypersonic Test Demonstrator Vehicle at 11.03 am today and the same lasted five minutes longer that the Agni Missile booster. The same has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO immediately after the test. "The @DRDO_India has today successfully flight tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle using the indigenously developed scramjet propulsion system. With this success, all critical technologies are now established to progress to the next phase," Singh said in a tweet.

"I congratulate to DRDO on this landmark achievement towards realising the Prime Minister's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. I spoke to the scientists associated with the project and congratulated them on this great achievement. India is proud of them," Singh also said.

This would mean that DRDO would have the capacity to develop a hypersonic missile with scramjet engine in the next couple of year. This would travel more than two kilometres per second. It was Satheesh Reddy, the chief of the DRDO who led the test.