Context:
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman Samir V. Kamat suggested co-development with foreign manufacturers for the sixth-generation aero-engine development.
Sixth-Generation Aero-Engine
Sixth-generation engines are advanced engines which are to be integrated in jet fighter aircraft designs, of which several countries are pursuing national programs and collaborative multinational projects. The first of these fighters are expected to enter service in the 2030s, spread across development and procurement costs.
- Features
- Expected to have a variable cycle for optimal efficiency at any speed or altitude.
- Engine configuration to act like a turbojet at supersonic speeds and a high-bypass turbofan for efficient cruising at slower speeds.
- Technology developed by the Air Force under the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) and the Navy under its Variable Cycle Advanced Technology (VCAT) program.
- Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP)
- The ADVENT program, led by the US Air Force, aimed to create an efficient adaptive cycle engine for next-generation military aircraft, with initial demonstrators expected to be in the 20,000 (89 kN) lbf thrust class.
- The Variable Cycle Advanced Technology (VCAT)
- The Variable Cycle Advanced Technology (VCAT) program is a Navy initiative to develop engines for next-generation fighter aircraft. The VCAT program has defined engine cycles, integrated the airframe and engines as a single unit, and explored engine variability by changing the bypass ratio.
- A variable cycle engine (VCE) is a jet engine that can operate efficiently in subsonic, transonic, and supersonic flight conditions, also known as adaptive cycle engines (ACE).
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency of India’s Ministry of Defence by undertaking military research and development. Established in 1958, it combined the Technical Development Establishment and Directorate of Technical Development and Production of Indian Ordnance Factories with the Defence Science Organisation.
- Ministry
- Ministry of Defence
- Chairman
- Samir V. Kamat
