GE Aerospace and Lockheed Martin Demonstrate Rotating Detonation Ramjet for Hypersonic Missiles

GE Aerospace and Lockheed Martin have completed a series of engine tests demonstrating the viability of a liquid-fueled rotating detonation ramjet for use in hypersonic missile applications.

This marks the first initiative between the two companies under a broader joint technology development agreement.

Accourding to Lockheed Martin, The ramjet is designed to increase missile speed, range, and efficiency while reducing costs. Its compact design allows for more fuel or payload, improved fuel efficiency extends range, and lower-speed ignition enables smaller boosters.

Unlike traditional ramjets, it combusts fuel and air using detonation waves, producing higher thrust for sustained super- and hypersonic flight with a smaller, lighter engine.

The system combines GE Aerospace’s rotating detonation combustion with Lockheed Martin’s tactical inlet.

Tests at the GE Aerospace Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, simulated supersonic flight at various speeds and altitudes, including high-altitude conditions where thinner air challenges stable combustion.