Jamie Bennet 
- Lockheed Martin and Venus Aerospace are collaborating to evaluate and further mature the Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine
- RDRE is being developed by Venus Aerospace, which Lockheed Martin’s venture arm has invested in
- Lockheed and Venus are looking towards the application of RDRE in long-range precision fires
Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday that it has entered into a joint technology development agreement with Venus Aerospace to assess and mature the Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine, or RDRE, for potential use in future long-range precision fire systems.
“Partnerships like this help accelerate innovation, reduce risk and rapidly advance from emerging technology to operational capability,” said Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
What Is the Significance of Expanding RDRE Applications?
Lockheed Martin said the agreement will let it evaluate RDRE against real-world military operational requirements, with the goal of moving the technology out of subsystem demonstration and into practical missile applications.
Developed by Venus Aerospace, RDRE differ from conventional rocket engines, which depend on subsonic combustion. By contrast, RDRE generates thrust through continuously traveling detonation waves.
“Our RDRE technology offers a different propulsion architecture for systems that need more range, more speed and a realistic path to production,” Venus Aerospace co-founder and CEO Sassie Duggleby said, adding, “This agreement with Lockheed Martin moves our breakthrough closer to real precision fires applications.”
How Has RDRE Development Evolved in the Past Year?
The joint technology development agreement comes less than a year after Lockheed Martin’s venture arm announced a strategic investment in Venus Aerospace to accelerate RDRE development and production. Duggleby said at the time that the engine “will power the next 50 years of defense, space and commercial high-speed aviation.”
Before Lockheed Martin Ventures’ investment, the RDRE technology completed its first U.S. flight test at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Venus Aerospace was supported by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in efforts to mature the technology and address potential challenges to the flight test.
