TATA Elxsi and Sarla Aviation have announced a landmark collaboration to accelerate the development of Shunya, India’s first indigenous electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

The agreement was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed at Sarla Aviation’s newly inaugurated headquarters in Bangalore.

The event was attended by Manoj Raghavan, CEO and Managing Director of TATA Elxsi, Adrian Schmidt, Co-Founder and CEO of Sarla Aviation, and Rakesh Gaonkar, Co-Founder and CTO of Sarla Aviation, alongside aerospace and engineering teams from both organisations.

The partnership combines Sarla Aviation’s vision for advanced urban air mobility with TATA Elxsi’s expertise in aerospace engineering, software, and flight-critical digital systems. TATA Elxsi will provide engineering support across avionics, including flight control systems, software integration, testing, verification, validation, and certification.

Sarla Aviation will lead the design, development, and type certification of the Shunya platform. The collaboration also extends to sensor fusion-based navigation software, industrial and structural design, and airworthiness test support.

Shunya is designed as a six-seater plus one pilot aircraft with a range exceeding 300 kilometres. It integrates 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. This timeline reflects the growing role of Indian aerospace companies in shaping next-generation aircraft and advanced air mobility platforms.

Adrian Schmidt emphasised that building a new class of aircraft is not only an engineering challenge but also a collaborative effort requiring organisations willing to solve unprecedented problems. He noted that TATA Elxsi’s experience in complex aerospace systems provides critical capabilities as Shunya moves from concept to reality. He added that the collaboration demonstrates how advanced air mobility can transition from ambition to everyday infrastructure sooner than expected.

Manoj Raghavan highlighted that every major shift in transportation has been driven by engineering innovation and ecosystem readiness. He stated that advanced air mobility is no different, and Sarla Aviation’s vision for Shunya reflects the ambition driving this transformation.

He explained that initiatives like this create opportunities to apply expertise built across aerospace, mobility, and digital technologies to new aviation platforms.

Jayaraj Rajapandian, Head of Aerospace at TATA Elxsi, remarked that Shunya exemplifies the rapid evolution of aerospace innovation in India’s technology landscape. He pointed out that as aircraft become increasingly fly-by-wire, electrified, and connected, new opportunities are emerging to rethink how people, goods, and critical services move.

He expressed excitement about working alongside Sarla Aviation to advance this vision and contribute to the next phase of Shunya’s journey.

Beyond Shunya, the partnership is expected to strengthen capabilities relevant to logistics, air ambulance services, and defence-related applications.

For TATA Elxsi, advanced air mobility represents a natural extension of the Connected, Autonomous, and Electrification transformation reshaping transportation. By combining aerospace and mobility expertise, TATA Elxsi is helping build the foundations for advanced air mobility platforms in India.

This collaboration marks a significant step in India’s aerospace sector, positioning Shunya as a pioneering indigenous eVTOL aircraft that could redefine urban and regional transport.

The project underscores India’s ambition to establish itself as a leader in advanced air mobility, with implications for both civilian and defence applications.