Aircraft

Israel helps India develop scramjet demonstrator

By Arie Egozi

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is co-operating with  India's Defence Research and Development Organisation on a hypersonic technology demonstrator vehicle (HSTDV), with the target of conducting a flight test in 2008.

Some of the windtunnel testing is being being performed at IAI. DRDO is developing the HSTDV to demonstrate a kerosene-fuelled scramjet engine capable of powering air-breathing vehicles to a speed of Mach 6.5-7, with the goal of reducing the cost of putting payloads into orbit by a factor of 100, to $200/kg ($90/lb).

India is researching special materials for thermal protection of the HSTDV, which would resemble NASA's X-43A, including carbon-carbon composites, nickel-based superalloys, niobium alloys and high thermal conducting copper alloy.

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