Chinese scientists have been leading the way in developing the technology that could transform hypersonic military capabilities
The rotating detonation engine (RDE) programme, a collaboration between the RTX Technology Research Centre and Pratt & Whitney, has moved into the practical validation phase after a decade of designing and testing.
These trials, conducted at a lab in Connecticut, aimed to integrate the RDE engine into a ground test bed ahead of future flight tests with the goal of eventually incorporating the technology into weapon systems, according to an article on the Breaking Defence website.
The concept of a detonation engine was first proposed in the 1950s. It is only in the past decade, with accumulating research results, that it has captured the attention of academia and industry.
The basic difference from traditional air-breathing engines lies in the RDE’s combustion process, which uses detonation to achieve a highly efficient conversion of chemical energy into mechanical energy.
