India nears hypersonic missile capability as DRDO tests advanced scramjet engine

DRDL successfully carried out a long-duration ground test of its full-scale, actively cooled scramjet combustor, clocking a run time of over 12 minutes.

• DRDL's hypersonic missile tech breakthrough: 12-minute scramjet test success.
• India achieves major milestone in hypersonic cruise missile development.
• India now leads in advanced hypersonic propulsion and aerospace capabilities

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In a major boost to India’s advanced weapons programme, the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on Friday achieved a key breakthrough in hypersonic missile technology.

DRDL successfully conducted a long-duration ground test of its full-scale, actively cooled scramjet combustor, achieving a run time of over 12 minutes. The test was conducted on January 9, 2026, at the laboratory’s state-of-the-art Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) Facility, marking a significant milestone in the development of hypersonic propulsion systems.

Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), the Hyderabad based laboratory of the @DRDO_India has achieved a path-breaking milestone in the development of Hypersonic Missiles.

DRDL successfully conducted an extensive long-duration ground test of its Actively Cooled… pic.twitter.com/8MkJGlowQv — रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) January 9, 2026

“This significant achievement builds upon the earlier subscale test conducted on April 25, 2025, marking a crucial step forward in the development of hypersonic missiles. The combustor and the test facility were designed and developed by DRDL and realised with the support of industry partners, and the successful test positions India at the forefront of advanced aerospace capabilities,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

“A hypersonic cruise missile is capable of flying at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound, or over 6,100 km per hour, for extended durations. This capability is enabled by a cutting-edge air-breathing engine that uses supersonic combustion to sustain long-duration flight. The ground tests conducted at the SCPT facility have successfully validated both the advanced scramjet combustor design and the capabilities of the state-of-the-art test infrastructure,” it added.

“The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has achieved a path-breaking milestone in the development of hypersonic missiles. DRDL successfully conducted a long-duration ground test of its Actively Cooled Scramjet Full Scale Combustor, recording a run time of over 12 minutes at the state-of-the-art Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) Facility on January 9, 2026,” DRDO said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO, its industry partners, and academia on the successful ground test of the Full-Scale Actively Cooled Long-Duration Scramjet Engine and stated that the achievement is a solid foundation for the nation’s Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme.

The successful test demonstrates India’s growing capability in sustaining hypersonic combustion over extended durations, a critical requirement for future hypersonic cruise missiles, and underscores the country’s progress in cutting-edge defence technologies