India Tests Mini- Drone With Pulsejet Engine

JAISWAL

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courtsy LIVEFIST.
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Livefist: India Tests Mini-Drone With Pulsejet Engine

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Engaged with helping design suitable propulsion systems for unmanned air systems across the board, the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) has apparently tested a scaled-down (how scaled down is unclear) Rustom-1 airframe with an indigenously developed valved pulsejet engine. This picture was taken during the flight test which possibly happened early this year, or perhaps late 2010, but provides a sense of the things NAL is trying out. The agency is also involved with the Rustom-H MALE UAV and the AURA stealth UCAV programme, in the areas of design, materials and propulsion.
 
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JAISWAL

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> Pulse jets are an efficient and simple way to convert fuel into heat.

> Have few or no moving parts resulting in lesser malfunctions.

> Cost effective.

> Low Maintenance/down time.

> Capable of running statically.

> Lightweight.


However, the biggest disadvantage is the poor compression ratio, resulting in a low specific impulse. This can be overcome by using a pulse detonation engine which involves repeated detonations in the engine, and which can potentially give high compression and good efficiency. Whether they are working on this concept is unknown.
 

sayareakd

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they are just playing with UAV, DRDO got big budget for armed UAVs.
 

nitesh

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they are just playing with UAV, DRDO got big budget for armed UAVs.
pulse jet is old tech, they might be trying to convert this in to a cheap flying bomb :D
can be used for intercepting missiles too?
 

W.G.Ewald

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pulse jet is old tech, they might be trying to convert this in to a cheap flying bomb :D
can be used for intercepting missiles too?
The German V-1 rocket was pulse jet.
 

Kunal Biswas

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The project is most probably targeted for a cheap alternative to expensive turbo engine Drones..
 

nitesh

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The German V-1 rocket was pulse jet.
Yes sir, it must be really cheap to produce them as of now. This flying bomb making suicide attacks on selected targets should be feasible, your views?
 

agentperry

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thing is simple, make it flyable in the shortest possible time so use pulse jet. now with pulsejet on board drdo has two advantage:-

1) forces cannot reject it, why? because in term of cost and production it has favorable tilt. pulse jet is cheap and it is easy to make and maintain so industry can be involved with no difficulty at all. forces cant play their cost, incapable industry, expensive maintenance card here.
2) swift delivery of product. later on upgrades may have turbine engine in the uav or they may re-design the uav to accommodate turbine engine. taxpayers victory.
 

W.G.Ewald

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Yes sir, it must be really cheap to produce them as of now. This flying bomb making suicide attacks on selected targets should be feasible, your views?
Yes; there is precedent in the Japanese Kamikazi. A V-1 type with a pilot would be cheaper than planning and consummating a World Trade Center attack. I think.
 

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