Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) booster at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on April 08, 2022. The test successfully demonstrated the reliable functioning of all critical components involved in the complex missile system and met all the mission objectives.The SFDR-based propulsion enables the missile to intercept aerial threats at very long range at supersonic speeds. The performance of the system has been confirmed from the data captured by a number of range instruments like Telemetry, Radar and Electro Optical Tracking Systems deployed by ITR.
The SFDR has been developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories such as Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Pune. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO for the successful trial of SFDR. He termed it as an important milestone towards development of critical missile technologies in the country. Complimenting the teams involved in design, development and testing, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy said, with the successful trial of SFDR, the range of air-to-air missiles can be enhanced.