The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has announced a modest step towards achieving the ultimate aeronautical challenge, one that even resource-rich China is struggling to achieve: Developing a jet engine with the thrust to power a fighter in combat.
“The DRDO established the near-isothermal forging technology to produce all the five stages of high-pressure compressor (HPC) discs out of difficult-to-deform, titanium alloy, using its unique 2000 MT (metric tonne) isothermal forge press,” announced the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday.
This technological breakthrough, which involves developing complex titanium and nickel-based alloys that can withstand temperatures of more than 1,000 degrees Celsius, was achieved by the DRDO’s premier metallurgical laboratory, the Hyderabad-based Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL).
