A drone with a ‘rotating detonation rocket engine’ approached the speed of sound.

Venus Aerospace has successfully completed a test flight of a drone equipped with its rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE), reaching speeds close to the speed of sound. The company aims to use this engine technology to develop superfast commercial jets in the future. The RDRE operates by a rotating detonation wave in a ring-shaped chamber, making it 15% more efficient than conventional rocket engines. While the successful test flight brings the possibility of commercially viable supersonic flight closer, the constant detonations of the RDRE would make any craft fitted with it very loud and could cause increased stress and fatigue on the engines and support structures. Venus Aerospace is also collaborating with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) due to the potential military applications of the RDRE technology. [Extracted from the article]