Two 20-year-old engineering students from BITS Pilani Hyderabad, Jayant Khatri (Mechanical Engineering, Ajmer) and Sourya Choudhury (Electrical Engineering, Kolkata), have built high-speed, radar-evasive Kamikaze drones capable of flying over 300 kmph and carrying precise 1 kg payloads. 

They developed these drones entirely in a hostel room using off-the-shelf parts, customized for Indian terrain, and launched their defence-tech start-up Apollyon Dynamics just two months ago.

Their journey began with cold emails to army contacts; a colonel responded, resulting in a live demonstration in Chandigarh for Army officers. Impressed by the drones’ speed, maneuverability, durability, and radar resistance, the Army placed orders.

Today, these drones are operational with Indian Army units across strategic locations including Jammu, Haryana's Chandimandir, West Bengal’s Panagarh, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Apollyon Dynamics focuses on indigenous solutions to reduce India’s dependence on imported UAV technologies. Their drones are built in-house emphasizing ruggedness, reliability, and adaptability to varied mission requirements.

Besides Kamikaze drones, their portfolio includes multi-role aerial vehicles for surveillance, tactical payload delivery, and trainer UAVs widely adopted for their ease of use. The start-up also trains military personnel, even those without prior flight experience, ensuring quick operator readiness.

Starting from a campus defence-tech club, their team has grown and is now working on next-generation Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing platforms to enhance mission flexibility and operational range.

Their remarkable achievement is seen as a positive contrast to the fictional character Joy Lobo from the film "3 Idiots," whose passion for engineering was tragically lost due to lack of support—unlike these students whose innovation has been embraced by the Indian Army.

These young engineers demonstrate the potential of grass-roots indigenous start-up innovation in defence technology, delivering sophisticated combat drones from a humble hostel room to front-line Indian Army units within two months of starting their venture.

Based On ET News Report