Built for tomorrow's wars: How India's 350kg turbojet reshapes warfare
India's DRDO has successfully developed its first indigenous 350kg thrust-class expendable turbojet engine. Manufactured by Azad Engineering, the engine is designed for military applications like cruise missiles and loitering munitions, reducing reliance on foreign imports.
Why it matters
This development marks a significant step in India's aerospace self-reliance and enhances its domestic capabilities in precision-strike military technology.
NEW DELHI: India has entered an exclusive club of countries capable of designing and producing indigenous expendable turbojet engines after the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully developed the country's first 350kg thrust-class expendable turbojet engine. Designed by DRDO's Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) and manufactured by Hyderabad-based Azad Engineering, the engine is intended for one-time military applications including cruise missiles, jet-powered loitering munitions, target drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The first production unit was recently delivered to GTRE, marking a significant milestone in India's indigenous aerospace propulsion programme. The development is important because compact turbojet technology is considered among the most difficult engineering disciplines in aerospace. Unlike rockets, which carry both fuel and oxidiser, turbojet engines continuously ingest atmospheric air, compress it, burn fuel and generate sustained thrust.
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