Hyderabad-based aerospace tech startup BluJ Aero successfully completed its first full-scale live flight demonstration on Friday, showcasing a vertical take-off and landing exercise at the Nadergul airfield on the outskirts of the city.
The startup claims that its prototype, an electric vertical take-off and landing (EVTOL) aircraft, is India’s largest privately built aircraft. BluJ is developing long-range autonomous eVTOL aircraft powered by hydrogen-electric propulsion, designed for both cargo and passenger transport. The company aims to make regional air mobility faster, more affordable, and environmentally friendly.
Designed and built in India, the aircraft has the capability to travel 300 kilometres with a payload of 100 kilogrammes between two points in a fully autonomous flight. As per the CEO and Co-founder of BluJ, Maruthi Amardeep Sri Vatsavaya, the aircraft is capable of cruising at speeds that allow it to cover distances within an hour and a half, flying at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters.
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“Our biggest advantage is that we do not need an airstrip for landing or take off. With our aircraft, we are opening up regional mobility. In the case of cargo, we are looking at same-day delivery (SDD) of e-commerce and high-value goods for the whole country,” he added.
BluJ’s technology enables rapid transit between major city pairs like Bengaluru-Mysuru, Chennai-Pondicherry, Mumbai-Pune, and Hyderabad-Warangal in under 30 minutes, all without requiring traditional airport infrastructure. The company has attracted interest for military and defense applications, particularly for logistics and supply needs at higher altitudes. Vatsavaya noted that their aircraft can take off from altitudes as high as 5,000 meters above sea level and ascend an additional 1,000 meters.
