Tata Elxsi and Sarla Aviation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of Shunya, Sarla Aviation’s six-seater plus one pilot electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
“The MoU was signed at Sarla Aviation’s newly inaugurated headquarters in Bengaluru in the presence of Manoj Raghavan, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Elxsi; Adrian Schmidt, Co-Founder & CEO, Sarla Aviation; and Rakesh Gaonkar, Co-Founder & CTO, Sarla Aviation, along with members of the aerospace and engineering teams from both organisations,” said Tata Elxsi in a press release.
“Under the collaboration, Tata Elxsi will provide engineering support across avionics such as flight control systems, software integration, testing, verification and validation, and certification, while Sarla Aviation will lead the design, development and type certification of the Shunya platform. The engagement also creates opportunities to extend support across sensor fusion based navigation software, industrial and structural design, and airworthiness test support. Designed for 300 Km+ range of flight operations, Shunya combines vertical take-off and landing capability with fixed-wing cruise efficiency, enabling runway-independent operations and improved propulsion efficiency.
The aircraft’s first flight is targeted within the next 18 to 24 months, with certification activities expected to follow.
For more information
https://www.tataelxsi.com/news-and-events/press-releases/tata-elxsi-and-sarla-aviation-partner-to-accelerate-development-of-shunya-indias-first-indigenous-evtol-aircraft
(Image: Tata Elxsi)