United states aerospace giant General Aviation has successfully tested a prototype of next generation turbo-fan engine for combat aircraft. The engine named GE XA100 is claimed to have an increase thrust of 10% and an improve fuel efficiency of 25%. This will in turn increase the range of a fighter jet by 35%. Image courtesy: General Electric Aviation (GE Aviation) official website According to General Electric official website, the XA100-GE-100 engine combines three key innovations to deliver a generational change in combat propulsion performance: An adaptive engine cycle that provides both a high-thrust mode for maximum power and a high-efficiency mode for optimum fuel savings and loiter time A third-stream architecture that provides a step-change in thermal management capability, enabling future mission systems for increased combat effectiveness Extensive use of advanced component technologies, including ceramic matrix composites (CMC), polymer matrix composites (PMC), and additive
On 7th September 2020, India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) demonstrated hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology with the test of Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Launch Complex at Wheeler Island in Bay of Bengal. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) of India in a press release said, " The hypersonic cruise vehicle was launched using a proven solid rocket motor, which took it to an altitude of 30 kilometres (km), where the aerodynamic heat shields were separated at hypersonic Mach number. The cruise vehicle separated from the launch vehicle and the air intake opened as planned. The hypersonic combustion sustained and the cruise vehicle continued on its desired flight path at a velocity of six times the speed of sound i.e., nearly 02 km/second for more than 20 seconds. The critical events like fuel injection and auto ignition of scramjet demonstrated technological maturity. The scramjet engine performed in a tex