The engine can help the aircraft reach speeds of Mach 9.

In the US, engineers have successfully tested a subsonic drone equipped with a rocket-like combustion engine, which could reach speeds of 11,000 km/h in future commercial flights.

Venus Aerospace has completed a test flight of a drone equipped with a rotary explosive rocket engine (RDRE), enabling the vehicle to reach near-supersonic speeds. In the future, the company plans to develop a super-fast commercial jet using this new engine. During the test flight on February 24th, Venus Aerospace launched the 2.4-meter-long, 136-kilogram drone to an altitude of 3,658 meters aboard an Aero L-29 Delfin aircraft before deploying the components and activating the RDRE, Live Science reported on April 10th.

The drone flew 16 km at Mach 0.9 (over 1,111 km/h), using 80% of the available thrust of the RDRE. The successful flight demonstrated the feasibility of the rotary explosive rocket engine and its accompanying flight systems. Three weeks earlier, Venus Aerospace demonstrated the feasibility of this technology with a long-duration burn test, in which engineers showed their engine could operate throughout the flight, with an annular chamber diameter of approximately 25.4 cm and producing 544 kg of thrust.

According to representatives from Venus Aerospace, rotary explosive rocket technology is 15% more efficient than conventional rocket engines. As a result, theoretically, with the same amount of fuel, an aircraft propelled by this technology could travel further than a conventional engine burning at constant pressure.

The successful test flight increases the likelihood of commercial viability for supersonic flight. One of Venus Aerospace's long-term goals is to develop a commercial supersonic aircraft capable of traveling at Mach 9 (11,000 km/h). For comparison, the Concorde could fly above Mach 2 (2,500 km/h) while the Lockheed SR-72 prototype is expected to fly above Mach 6 (7,400 km/h). A Mach 9 vehicle could fly from London to San Francisco in an hour.

Similar to the Concorde, which was very noisy during takeoff, the RDRE's rapid detonation operation would cause the aircraft to emit an extremely loud noise. Unlike conventional jet engines that accelerate more smoothly, the repeated rapid acceleration cycles based on continuous detonation could put additional stress on the engine and its supporting structures.

Because RDRE has military applications, Venus Aerospace is collaborating with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The company is currently planning further testing using drones. Engineers are considering fitting the RDRE engine to larger drones capable of reaching speeds five times the speed of sound (6,200 km/h).

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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