China Builds World’s First Boron Ramjet Engine

Initially meant for hypersonic weapons, it would be modified for use underwater to reach its targets at extremely high speeds and over a long distance.

It was in 2022 that researchers with the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT) in Changsha, Hunan province thought of employing this engine underwater. They added that cross-medium vehicles powered by such an engine could move at supersonic speed in air and in water to target aircraft carriers at speeds of over 200 knots.

The engine achieved 90% combustion efficiency in submarine mode during lab tests and its use could transform future warfare, said the research team. No country has the capability to counter such a weapon yet.

The engine is primarily fueled by boron, used in scramjet engines on a few Chinese hypersonic weapons. When boron comes in contact with oxygen, it burns intensely, accelerating the missile to over 5 times the speed of sound.

However, the biggest difficulty researchers faced was igniting it underwater