India enters elite missile club! DRDO successfully tests game-changing SFDR technology

The successful test places India among an elite group of nations possessing this advanced propulsion technology, which enables the development of long-range air-to-air missiles capable of providing a significant tactical advantage over adversaries.

During the trial, all critical subsystems — including the nozzle-less booster, Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet motor, and fuel flow controller — performed as expected. The missile was initially propelled by a ground booster motor to achieve the required Mach number before the ramjet system took over.

The system’s performance was validated using flight data captured by multiple tracking instruments deployed by ITR along the Bay of Bengal coast. The launch was monitored by senior scientists from various DRDO laboratories, including the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), and ITR.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and industry partners for the successful demonstration of the SFDR technology. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat, also lauded the teams involved in the successful flight test.