India is the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of Scramjet Engine after the US, Russia and European Space Agency.
Known as Super Sonic Combustion RAM Jet.
Scramjet engine uses Hydrogen as fuel and the Oxygen from the atmospheric air as the oxidizer.
Usually rocket engines carry both fuel and oxidiser on board for combustion, but these newly developed engines with air-breathing propulsion system will use oxygen from the atmosphere thereby reducing the lift-off mass of the vehicle.
It will also help in bring down launch costs substantially.
Countries like Japan, China, Russia and Europe are only in the initial or testing phase of Supersonic combustion technology.
