Craig Nordeen (Air Force Research Lab, Pratt & Whitney) gives a lesson from three years ago on detonation engines. He describes the history and how they work and why they are more efficient. The work ...

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 ...

The Rotating Detonation Engine being developed by Pratt & Whitney has no moving parts, which reduces complexity and costs, and could help enable high-speed, long-range flight with increased efficiency ...

Detonation is a supersonic combustion wave, characterized by a shock wave driven by the energy release from closely coupled chemical reactions. It is a typical form of pressure gain combustion, ...

Researchers in China have introduced a new hypersonic engine concept by integrating a ramjet with a rotary detonation engine. A team at Tsinghua University in Beijing created a new design known as the ...

Rotating Detonation Engines (RDE) have been flown by Venus Aerospace. They use continuous detonation waves for propulsion and provide 15% efficiency gains (in specific impulse or fuel consumption) ...

A US-based propulsion company, Venus Aerospace, said Wednesday it had completed a short flight test of its rotating detonation rocket engine at Spaceport America in New Mexico. The company’s chief ...

A new family of engines aims to harness the power of detonation shockwaves to create ever-faster rocket engines. One of these engines—known as a rotating detonation engine (RDE)—has shown some ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...

A startup high-speed flight company from Houston, Texas, has successfully tested its Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) ultimately aimed at allowing travel at four to six times the speed of ...

Chinese scientists have once again innovated a new technology—and not just any technology, but an extraordinary new engine that could improve rotating detonation engines. It could have profound ...

A US-based propulsion company has successfully launched and flown a new rocket powered by a unique rotating detonation engine. Although relatively small by rocket standards, the test could pave the ...