Russia has demonstrated a pulse-detonation engine (PDE) with low-energy ignition and a specific impulse of 800s in static conditions, about half that of comparable hydrocarbon-fuelled ramjet at Mach 2 ...

A self-propagating series of explosions, contained between the blades of a high-speed rotor, promises a leap in power and efficiency during hypersonic flight – provided this radical new engine can be ...