Pulse Detonation Engine

A pulse detonation engine burns its fuel and oxidizer mixture in a supersonic detonation wave rather than the subsonic deflagration used by an ordinary jet or rocket engine, combusting the charge under almost constant volume because it has no time to expand, which is thermodynamically more efficient than a conventional turbojet or turbofan. Because the combustion chamber must be refilled between detonations, the engine fires in pulses, and its supporters argue the design could eliminate the moving compressor stages of a conventional jet engine, cutting weight and cost, while in principle covering speeds from subsonic up to roughly Mach 5. A modified Long-EZ aircraft flew on pulse detonation power in 2008 and Japan tested a pulse detonation rocket engine in space in 2021, but as of 2026 no practical pulse detonation engine has reached production, with military reconnaissance aircraft the main current interest. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/