Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet


Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet is a missile propulsion system currently being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation of India. The project aims to develop critical technologies required in the propulsion systems of future Indian long range air-to-air missiles.

Description

The Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet is a missile propulsion system that includes a thrust modulated ducted rocket with a reduced smoke nozzle-less missile booster. The thrust modulation in the system is achieved using a hot gas flow controller. The system utilises a solid fuelled air-breathing ramjet engine. As of 2017, the missile system has a range of about 120 kilometres at an altitude of 8 kilometres, with a speed of 2.3-2.5 Mach. This kind of a propulsion system drastically enhances the range and the speed of a missile since it does not require an oxidiser.
Officially, the technology is being developed to power future Indian air-to-air missiles. However, the technology can also be applied to surface-to-air missiles.
In its current form, the SFDR-based missile first requires to be boosted into a high-altitude trajectory to simulate aircraft-launch conditions. Subsequently, the nozzle-less booster fires up and guides the missile through its desired trajectory.

Development

The development of the SFDR started in 2013 and envisaged a five-year deadline to begin actual demonstrations. The missile is being developed primarily by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory in Hyderabad. The missile booster has been developed by DRDO independently while the ramjet engine is being developed with Russian assistance. Gound-based testing of the missile started in 2017.

Testing