New Delhi: India’s burgeoning defence start-up ecosystem has notched up a significant milestone with D-Propulse successfully testing its rotating detonation engine (RDE).
Co-founded by propulsion expert Sourav Jha and eminent scientist Dr V Ramanujachari, the venture boasts mentorship from Dr V K Saraswat, former DRDO chief and NITI Aayog member. This breakthrough underscores India’s push towards indigenous hypersonic and advanced propulsion technologies.
Rotating detonation engines represent a paradigm shift in aerospace propulsion. Unlike conventional engines that rely on deflagration—subsonic combustion—RDEs harness continuous detonation waves travelling supersonically around an annular combustor. This process yields higher thermodynamic efficiency, potentially slashing fuel consumption by up to 25 per cent while delivering compact, high-thrust outputs ideal for missiles, ramjets, and even space launch vehicles.
D-Propulse’s recent test featured a 5 kN combustor, with footage revealing stable detonation waves sustaining high-pressure combustion. The trial validates the startup’s design prowess in managing the extreme instabilities inherent to RDE operation, such as wave mode transitions and thermal management. Such success positions D-Propulse at the forefront of India’s efforts to master detonation-based propulsion, critical for next-generation hypersonic cruise missiles and air-breathing scramjets.
Sourav Jha, a seasoned aerospace engineer with prior stints at leading firms, brings hands-on expertise in solid and liquid propulsion systems. Dr V Ramanujachari, renowned for his contributions to ISRO’s liquid engines and Agni missile stages, lends unparalleled credibility.
Dr V K Saraswat’s guidance, drawing from his oversight of hypersonic technology at DRDO, ensures alignment with national strategic goals like the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) programme.
The test arrives amid heightened global competition in RDE development. The United States’ DARPA and NASA’s programmes have logged subscale tests exceeding 2,000 seconds of operation. Russia claims operational RDE integration in the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile. China, too, advances via its WS-15 engine derivatives. India’s D-Propulse entry narrows this gap, leveraging private-sector agility to complement DRDO’s foundational work on detonation ramjets.
