Aerojet Rocketdyne (www.rocket.com) has entered into an agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop and ground-test an innovative propulsion system under the agency’s Advanced Full Range Engine (AFRE) programme.

Eileen Drake, CEO of Aerojet Rocketdyne, said: “Through the AFRE programme, we aim to mature the design and component technologies and bring them together to conduct a full system-level

Turbine Based Combined Cycle ground-test demonstration. Developing propulsion technologies capable of operating at subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic speeds would enable us to build future generations of high-speed military aircraft to ensure air dominance.”

The primary goal of the AFRE programme is to develop and demonstrate (on the ground) a re-usable hydrocarbon propulsion system that can seamlessly operate in a reliable and affordable manner over the full range of speeds between take-off and ‘hypersonic cruise’.