TEL AVIV — Students from Israel's leading technical institute have
designed and successfully test-launched an advanced ramjet rocket.
On Tuesday, students at Technion launched and operated the 'Ramtech' rocket, a
solid-fuel platform meant to travel faster and for longer distances than
standard rockets.
The two-stage hypersonic rocket was launched from the
Israel Air Force base at Palmahim, south of Tel Aviv. The 3.7-meter-long
rocket, which weighs 90 kilograms, underwent separation and the second-stage
ramjet engine was operated. The rocket traveled 18 kilometers over the
Mediterranean Sea.
The five-year student project, touted as a breakthrough in
Israeli technology, was undertaken in cooperation with the state-owned
Rafael, Israel Armament Development Authority.
The Technion said this was the first ramjet engine test in Israel.
Unlike a turbine engine, the ramjet — designed to achieve a speed of up to
Mach 10, or ten times the speed of sound — does not contain compressors or
moving parts, which enables the rocket to move faster, travel farther and
use a quarter of the fuel required for a standard rocket.
"All of the systems worked exceptionally well," Alon Gany, a Technion
professor and head of the project, said. "The launch was very smooth."
But Gany said the flight did not demonstrate the full capabilities of the
ramjet engine. He said the speed of the rocket was less than Mach 2.5, or
820 meters per second. The rocket was meant to accelerate to 900 meters per
second.
The ramjet engine operated for three seconds, five seconds fewer than
planned, Gany said. The total flight lasted 90 seconds.
Gany said the first stage rocket engine — which was not developed by
the Technion — did not achieve the planned speed of Mach 2.5. He said this
hampered the operation of the ramjet engine. The ramjet engine cannot be
operated from a stationary position.
"We proved the entire system but, unfortunately, the data from the
ramjet was partial," Gany said. "We didn't demonstrate the maximum."
The ramjet launch was originally scheduled for March 20, Gany said. He
said poor weather at Palmahim canceled the launch five minutes before
take-off.
Gany, citing the need for outside funding, said he hopes Ramtech would
undergo additional test-flights. He said both Rafael and the Israel Air
Force have supported the project.
"We think we laid a basis for the ramjet engine," Gany said. "Of course,
if this was an experiment; there would have to be other tests and this would
require resources. It could be that this would be in cooperation with
Rafael."
