DRDO Unveils Advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel Facility To Help Develop Futuristic Aerospace Defence Systems

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday (19 December) inaugurated DRDO's advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility.

The state-of-the-art HWT Test facility is pressure vacuum driven enclosed free jet facility having nozzle exit diameter of 1 meter and will simulate Mach No 5 to 12 (Mach represents the multiplication factor to the speed of sound).

After USA and Russia, India is the third country to have such a large facility in terms of size and operating capability.

Designed and developed in India, the project saw a cooperation with Indian industries.

The facility has the capability to simulate hypersonic flow over a wide spectrum and will play a major role in the realisation of highly complex futuristic aerospace and defence systems.

DRDO also showcased two anti-drone technologies with capabilities including neutralising ground targets and anti-drone applications to counter stationery as well as high-speed moving targets.

Key features of the weapon system include secure communication link, effective recoil management system, high firing angular resolution and vision-based target detection and tracking.