India becomes the third country in the world to own the state-of-the-art facility
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated DRDO’s (Defence Research and Development Organization) advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility at Hyderabad on 19th Dec. After the USA and Russia, India is the third country in the world to have such a big facility in terms of size and operating Hypersonic Wind Tunnel capability. The project is designed and developed in India under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’ in collaboration with other Indian companies and industries. Let’s understand the project:
Hypersonic: A speed that greatly exceeds the speed of sound, usually Mach 5 and above.
Mach Number: It is the ratio of speed of a body to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium. 1 Mach = Speed of Sound i.e., 1235 km/h.
Wind Tunnel: They are large enclosed tubes with air moving inside (Imagine a pipe which can fit in a plane). The tunnels are used to copy the actions of objects in flight mode.
Hypersonic Wind Tunnel: It has the capability of simulating (imitating) hypersonic flow over a wide spectrum i.e., Mach 5 to 12 (Speed of sound x the number). It will play a significant role in producing highly complex futuristic aerospace and defence systems.
