Rocket-turbine powerplant nears completion

CFD Research Corp. is nearing the completion of the air turbo-rocket (ATR), an advanced, air-breathing powerplant that utilizes rocket and turbojet engine technologies. The company is planning ground tests of the equipment by the end of 1998, while flight tests are likely to be conducted in the following year. The hybrid, compact engine, has the potential to be used as powering tactical missiles and speedy unmanned aerial vehicles, but for the meantime, the company is concentrating on simpler, solid-fuel ATR versions.