Raytheon Develops Revolutionary Rotating Detonation Engine for DARPA

DARPA has recently concluded a contract with RayTheon, a leading technology company, for the development of a practical version of the groundbreaking air-intelligent detonation engine called Gambit (source). This engine is unique in that it eliminates the need for moving parts, which opens up the possibility of creating lighter missiles with greater range and reduced costs.

Gas turbines, despite their effectiveness, suffer from several drawbacks. They are complex to manufacture, heavy, require expensive maintenance, and rely on special materials to withstand high temperatures. These disadvantages are particularly significant for disposable weapons like cruise missiles.

As an alternative, the Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE) is being proposed. In RDE, a combustible mixture of fuel and air is introduced into the gap between two coaxial cylinders. When ignited, a supersonic wave is generated, which travels through the gap, producing thrust. These engines are easy to design, cost-effective to produce, and lightweight.

The primary objective now is to transition the RDE from the testing phase to a functioning prototype. Pursuant to the contract with DARPA, RayTheon will spearhead the development of the Gambit engine until a design is achieved that can be adapted for future military weapon systems.

The project is currently in stage 1, which involves the preliminary design of the engine and its key components. In the second stage, the engine will be manufactured and undergo testing.

Colin Walan, President of Advanced Technologies at RayTheon, commented, “This engine system is truly revolutionary. Leveraging our existing digital design tools and the expertise of the entire RTX business, we aim to rapidly produce a prototype of this next-generation engine and advance the technology further.”