Hypersonic Breakthrough Coming Soon

R Anil Kumar

• Former DRDO DGDr. Sudhir Kumar Mishra Says World’s Fastest Missile in the Works

• “New Bharat can’t be Touched”: Former DRDO Chief

• Brahmos 2.0: How the Next Generation of India’s Supersonic Missile Is Getting Faster and Lethal Dr. Sudhir Kumar Mishra, former MD & CEO of BrahMos Aerospace

• “Two-three weeks back, we tested a hypersonic engine. Soon, we will come out with a hypersonic missile that will reach Mach 5 speed

Bengaluru. India is on the brink of a significant defence breakthrough with the imminent unveiling of an indigenous hypersonic missile, as revealed by veteran DRDO scientist Dr. Sudhir Kumar Mishra at the Powering Bharat Summit on May 16, 2025.

Dr. Sudhir Kumar Mishra, former Director General of DRDO and ex-CEO of BrahMos Aerospace, confirmed that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently achieved a major milestone by successfully testing a hypersonic engine.

This paves the way for the introduction of a missile system capable of reaching speeds of Mach 5, positioning India among the global leaders in hypersonic technology.

The hypersonic missile project reflects a shift in India’s defence landscape, moving from mere demonstration of firepower to fostering a robust, innovation-driven industrial ecosystem.

Dr. Mishra emphasised that all technologies for the BrahMos missile, including the world’s largest launcher, were developed in-house by DRDO.

“BrahMos is a very potent universal weapon. It goes with brute force, impossible for anyone to stop it… We are very happy that Indian systems, not only Akash and BrahMos, but also electronic technologies and others have all been used either in the foreground or background.”

He highlighted that the reliability and performance of Indian missile systems have led other nations to consider inducting them, underscoring the global competitiveness of Indian defence technology.

Recent tests of the scramjet engine-a critical component for sustained hypersonic flight-mark a pivotal advancement.

In April 2025, DRDO’s Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad conducted a long-duration ground test of an active cooled scramjet combustor for over 1,000 seconds, following an earlier 120-second test in January.

This achievement validates the design and readiness for full-scale flight testing, indicating that India’s hypersonic cruise missile program is nearing operational status.

Hypersonic cruise missiles, powered by air-breathing engines, can maintain speeds exceeding 6,100 km/h (Mach 5) for extended periods, making them extremely difficult to intercept and highly effective for rapid, high-impact strikes.

The summit also highlighted broader trends in Indian defence innovation. Lt Gen (Dr) Inderjit Singh noted India’s proactive approach to drone technology, with the Ministry of Defence scaling up efforts to acquire cutting-edge ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) systems.

Smit Shah, President of the Drone Federation of India, credited policy reforms for catalysing growth in the domestic drone sector and fostering indigenous intellectual property.

Dr. Mishra stressed the importance of quality and technical superiority in defence procurement, advocating for the selection of the best technical offer (T1) over the lowest bidder (L1) to ensure uncompromised performance.

He also pointed out the need for consolidation in the defence manufacturing ecosystem to enhance efficiency and sustainability, predicting that only a handful of the current 400 drone companies would survive in the long run.

India’s hypersonic missile initiative, backed by recent technological milestones and a strategic focus on indigenous innovation, is set to mark a new era in the nation’s defence capabilities.

The successful development and forthcoming debut of a Mach 5 missile will not only bolster India’s military deterrence but also establish its leadership in the global hypersonic race.

Policy and budget signals align

The government, meanwhile, appears to be betting big on homegrown innovation. According to the Ministry of Defence, 75 percent of the FY26 modernisation budget, Rs 1.11 lakh crore, has been earmarked for domestic procurement, with Rs 27,886 crore specifically for the private sector.

Defence exports tell a similar story. In FY25, private sector exports stood at Rs 15,233 crore, overtaking DPSUs, whose exports were Rs 8,389 crore. The private sector’s contribution to total defence production has also surged to 21 percent, with the overall value hitting a record high of Rs 1.27 lakh crore, a 174 percent increase from 2014-15 levels.

Budget allocations to DRDO have also jumped by 12.4 percent in FY26, with Rs 14,923 crore marked for capital expenditure. This includes collaborative R&D with private partners through the Technology Development Fund (TDF) and the iDEX initiative, for which the government has allotted Rs 449 crore, a nearly threefold jump in two years.

“In each of the niche technologies we need to identify champions, and give them contracts,” said Lt Gen Singh, reinforcing the need for targeted partnerships.

The big picture

India’s post-Sindoor military landscape is no longer just about showcasing firepower, it’s about creating a sustainable, innovation-driven industrial base.

Dr Mishra put it bluntly:

“We always believed that we should not always go to L1 (lowest bidder). If you go for the lowest, quality can be compromised. We go for T1, technology first.”

As the battle shifts from the war front to the R&D lab and the startup pitch deck, the message is clear: the private sector’s moment in Indian defence is not just coming, it’s already here.