U.S. Air Force wants a missile engine that runs on explosions

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is seeking industry work on propulsion that uses rotating detonation rather than conventional steady-state combustion, including a rotating-detonation rocket-engine combined-cycle concept. Such engines sustain traveling detonation waves within the combustion chamber, potentially improving propulsive efficiency and enabling more compact high-speed propulsion arrangements compared with established designs. The initiative focuses on the technical feasibility of propulsion suitable for future missiles and high-speed vehicles, including transition between rocket-driven and air-breathing flight where applicable. It remains an early-stage research and industry-engagement effort, not a demonstrated operational missile engine, and no validated performance or procurement quantity has been announced.