28-12-2020 | 16:03 PM
India’s 1st Hypersonic Wind Tunnel test facility
Context
On December 20, the Defence Minister inaugurated the country's first advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility in Hyderabad. During the visit, the Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy and DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy accompanied the Defence Minister.
Certain Key Facts
The advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel Test facility is a pressure vacuum-driven enclosed free jet facility.
It has a 1 metre nozzle exit diameter and will simulate a Mach number of 5 to 12.
"Mach number" represents the ratio of the speed of an object in a given medium to the speed of sound in a given medium.
The Hypersonic Wind Tunnel test facility is also capable of simulating hypersonic flow over a wide spectrum.
The Hypersonic flow is a flow where the speed is much higher than the local speed of sound.
The hypersonic flow is generally defined as the flow at Mach 5 or greater.
The state-of-the-art facility is pressure vaccum driven enclosed free jet facility with nozzle exit of one-meter diameter.
The project is an indigenous development and an outcome of synergistic partnership with Indian industries.
The test facility will play a pivotal role in the development of very complex futuristic defence and aerospace systems.
Following this inauguration, after U.S.A and Russia, India became the third country with a HWT test facility.
Hyderabad-based DRDO labs showcased various other indigenously developed systems and technologies in wide ranging areas namely missiles, avionics systems, advanced materials and electronic warfare. On the occasion, 2 anti-drone technologies were also demonstrated.
Other Recent Developments Of DRDO
DRDO has recently developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle, Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM), Anti-Radiation Missile (RUDRAM), Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) and Quantum Key Distribution technology.
