The paper outlines recent e¨orts of the research team directed by the author on the development of e©cient means for reducing the de §agration-to-detonation transition (DDT) run-up distance and time for liquidfueled air-breathing pulse detonation engine (PDE) applications. The main objective of the studies was to ensure fast DDT in a PDE tube at the lowest possible ignition energy, at the shortest distance, with the lowest pressure loss, and using aviation kerosene TS-1 (Russian analogue of JetA) as fuel and air as oxidizer.