NEW DELHI, Jan. 10 -- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Friday conducted a successful ground test of a full-scale actively cooled scramjet engine - an air breathing engine capable of sustaining combustion during supersonic flights - with defence minister Rajnath Singh describing the achievement as a "solid foundation" for India's hypersonic cruise missile programme. The Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad based DRDO laboratory, has achieved "a path-breaking milestone" in the development of hypersonic missiles, the defence ministry said. "DRDL successfully conducted an extensive long-duration ground test of its actively cooled scramjet full scale combustor, achieving a run time of over 12 minutes.," it said in a statement. The development is being seen as a crucial milestone in developing next-generation hypersonic missiles that can travel at speeds of more than Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound. Only the United States, Russia and China have developed technologies to field fast-manoeuvring hypersonic missiles that fly at lower altitudes and are extremely hard to track and intercept. This achievement builds upon the earlier subscale test conducted on April 25, 2025, for long duration, marking a crucial step forward in hypersonic missile development, the defence ministry said. "The combustor and test facility were designed and developed by the DRDL and realised by industry partners. The successful test positions India at the forefront of advanced aerospace capabilities," the ministry said....