Much Awaited HSTDV Flight Tested Successfully: Defense Minister

It may be termed as a giant leap in indigenous Defense technologies and significant milestone towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat, India on Monday successfully flight tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV).

Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh, has congratulated the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for successfully flight testing the indigenously developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV). Singh said that this technology is a landmark achievement towards realizing PM’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The Defense Minister in his official tweet said, “The concerned DRDO authorities have on Monday early hours successfully flight tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle using the indigenously developed scramjet propulsion system. With this success, all critical technologies are now established to progress to the next phase”.

“I congratulate to DRDO on this landmark achievement towards realizing PM’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. I spoke to the scientists associated with the project and congratulated them on this great achievement. India is proud of them”, he said in another tweet. With this mission, the DRDO has demonstrated capabilities for highly complex technology that will serve as the building block for NextGen Hypersonic vehicles in partnership with industry.

The DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy also congratulated all the Scientists, Researchers and other personnel related with HSTDV mission for their resolute and unwavering efforts towards strengthening Nation’s defense capabilities. The HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft for hypersonic speed flight it can cruise at a speed of mach 6 and move up to an altitude of 32.5 km (20 miles) in 20 seconds, according to the government. Besides, its utility for long-range cruise missiles of the future, the dual-use technology will have multiple civilian applications also. It can be used for launching satellites at low cost too. The HSTDV can move up to an altitude of 32.5 km in 20 seconds and once it is achieved successfully. India will enter a select club of countries that have such technology. The HSTDV cruise vehicle is mounted on a solid rocket motor, which will take it to a required altitude, and once it attains certain mach numbers for speed, the cruise vehicle will be ejected out of the launch vehicle.