Hypersonic breakthrough coming soon: Veteran DRDO scientist says world’s fastest missile in the works

India’s post-Sindoor military landscape is no longer just about showcasing firepower, it’s about creating a sustainable, innovation-driven industrial base.

India is on the verge of a major defence milestone with the upcoming debut of an indigenous hypersonic missile capable of flying at Mach 5, Dr. Sudhir Kumar Mishra, Veteran DRDO scientist, said on May 16.

Speaking at the Powering Bharat Summit, organised by Network18 in collaboration with Moneycontrol, News18 India, and CNBC Awaaz, the ex-DRDO chief, in an interaction with Moneycontrol's Managing Editor Nalin Mehta, revealed that DRDO recently conducted successful trials for a hypersonic engine and is now preparing to unveil the missile system.

Mishra is former DRDO DG and former MD & CEO of BrahMos Aerospace. He currently holds the DRDO chair (Prof. S Bhagavantham).

"Two-three weeks back, we tested a hypersonic engine. Soon, we will come out with a hypersonic missile that will reach Mach 5 speed. All the technologies for BrahMos were developed in-house by DRDO, we even built the world’s largest launcher ourselves," Mishra said, adding that when other nations compare missile systems and choose to induct India’s, “it means ours is the best.”

Mishra was speaking on a panel titled Defending Bharat: Indian Drones, Missiles, Defence Tech, alongside leading voices in the drone and defence tech ecosystem.

Lt Gen (Dr) Inderjit Singh, Strategic Advisor at ideaForge Technology, said India has been proactive about drone technology for over a decade. “Today, we are the biggest company in ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) technologies. The Ministry of Defence is significantly scaling up efforts to acquire cutting-edge technologies,” he noted.

Smit Shah, President of the Drone Federation of India, highlighted how policy reforms catalysed the sector’s growth. “In 2021, we introduced the drone policy, which, though framed for civilian use, unlocked opportunities for private players to develop drone technologies. The aim was to create indigenous intellectual property,” Shah said.

Mishra described BrahMos as a “very potent universal weapon” that strikes with brute force, making it nearly impossible to intercept. Highlighting the missile system’s reliability, he noted that over 130 tests have been conducted with consistent improvements in parameters each time. Stressing on the importance of quality over cost, Mishra said DRDO avoids the traditional L1 (lowest bidder) route, instead opting for T1, the best technical offer, to ensure performance is not compromised. “Indian systems like Akash, BrahMos, and other indigenous electronic technologies, whether at the forefront or in supporting roles, have boosted the Armed Forces’ confidence immensely,” he added.

He also underscored the long gestation period for defence technology returns, cautioning investors not to expect results in just 2–3 years. “Real defence R&D takes at least a decade,” he said. Addressing the fragmented state of the defence manufacturing ecosystem, Mishra urged better consolidation: “If there are 3,000 companies in every vertical, it becomes tough for buyers to support them. Why don’t you group them?” Commenting on the drone sector, he gave a stark prediction: “Today, there are 400 drone companies. I’m telling you, not more than 20 will survive.”