Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV)

Why in news?

• DRDO recently conducted a successful test flight of the indigenously developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV).

What is HSTDV?

• Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) is unmanned scramjet demonstration vehicle that can cruise up to a speed of mach 6 (or six times the speed of sound) and rise up to an altitude of 32 km in 20 seconds.
• The technology uses a scram jet engine.
• The only other countries that possess this technology are the US, Russia and China.
• It has a range of uses, including missiles, ballistic missile defence and energy-efficient, low cost and reusable satellite-launch vehicle.

SCRAM Jets

• A scramjet is an air-breathing engine, similar to the turbojet engine on a commercial aircraft.
• However, unlike a turbojet, scramjets do not have rotating blades on the air intake to compress the air.
• In a scram jet air is compressed by the forward speed of the aircraft itself and in a scramjet (supersonic-combustion ramjet) airflow through the engine remains supersonic.
• SCRAM Jets can travel at much higher speeds than conventional jets.

PRELIMS QUESTION

A “Mach number” is used to indicate the speed of an object compared to:
(a)Speed of Light.
(b)Speed of Sound.
(c)Maximum speed of the same object in vacuum.
(d)Escape velocity of earth

Answer to prelims question