Air-breathing hypersonic power plants, also known as scramjet engines, are designed to operate at extremely high speeds, typically in the hypersonic regime i.e; Mach 5 and above. These air-breathing scramjet engines are generally fighter-jet engine-seized.
Engineers and researchers have been working on innovative designs to reduce the size of scramjet engines. The goal is to reduce the size to fit them into smaller aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
However, developing compact scramjet engines with desired performance and reliability remains challenging despite progress.
Now an Ohio-based aerospace startup Velontra has successfully tested an 11-inch diameter, 5-foot-long turbojet, which will serve as the foundation for their Bronco hypersonic propulsion system.