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AndroMach Completes 21 Rocket Engine Tests for Reusable Hypersonic UAV
2026-07-26
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Impact score: 36
The French defense procurement agency (DGA) announced that startup AndroMach has completed qualification testing of its Banger rocket engine at the DGA Missile Test Center in Gironde. The engine achieved 21 zero-failure ignitions and a cumulative burn time of 7 minutes, successfully demonstrating reusability. Using cryogenic liquid oxygen/propane propellant, the engine powers the "Envol" hypersonic suborbital UAV. Manufactured via metal 3D printing, the engine features complex internal geometries, reducing design iteration cycles from months to weeks. The 4-meter-long Envol vehicle, with a payload capacity of about 30 kg, takes off from a runway, ignites mid-air to accelerate to Mach 5, climbs to an altitude of 200 km, and glides back for landing. This technology supports microgravity experiments, flight technology testing, and serves as a complex trajectory target for evaluating air defense systems. The Envol demonstrator is scheduled for its first flight in 2026-2027.
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法国AndroMach完成21次火箭发动机点火测试，助力可重复使用高超音速无人机
法国国防采购局（DGA）宣布，初创公司AndroMach在吉伦特省DGA导弹测试中心完成Banger火箭发动机资格认证测试，21次点火零故障，累计燃烧7分钟，成功验证可重复使用性。该发动机采用低温液氧/丙烷推进剂，用于驱动“Envol”高超音速亚轨道无人机。发动机采用金属3D打印制造，可实现复杂内部几何结构，将设计迭代周期从数月缩短至数周。“Envol”机身长约4米、载重约30公斤，从跑道起飞后空中点火加速至5马赫、爬升至200公里高度，滑翔返回降落。该技术应用于微重力实验、飞行技术测试及作为复杂轨迹靶标评估防空系统。Envol验证机计划2026-2027年首飞。