Hyderabad-based aerospace tech startup BluJ Aero successfully conducted its first full-scale live flight demonstration on Friday with a vertical take-off and landing exercise at Nadergul airfield on the city outskirts.
The company displayed the capability of its prototype, an electric vertical take-off and landing (EVTOL) aircraft, that it claims is India’s largest privately built aircraft. According to the company, BluJ is building long-range autonomous EVTOL aircraft powered by hydrogen-electric propulsion for cargo and passenger use cases to make regional air mobility faster, cheaper, and greener.
Fully designed and built in India, the commercial version of the aircraft can travel about 300 km with a payload of about 100 kg from point A to B in a fully autonomous flight. It demonstrated the proprietary Gen 1 Hydrogen-Electric propulsion system, enabling zero-emission, long-range flights.
The aircraft can cruise at speed to cover the distance in an hour and a half, flying at an altitude of about 1,000 metres, said Maruthi Amardeep Sri Vatsavaya, co-founder and CEO of BluJ. “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.
According to BluJ, their technology enables rapid transit between key cities like Bengaluru-Mysuru, Chennai-Pondicherry, Mumbai–Puneand Hyderabad-Warangal in under 30 minutes, without the need for traditional airport infrastructure. With an AUW (aircraft’s gross weight) of around 500 kg, the demonstrated aircraft is the largest privately developed in India, representing a breakthrough in the aerospace startup ecosystem, said Utham Kumar Dharamapuri, co-founder and CTO of BluJ.
The company has evoked interest from military and defence use cases for its logistics and supply requirements at higher altitudes. Vatsavaya said their aircraft can take off from altitudes such as 5,000 metres above sea level and climb up another 1,000 metres.
“We are developing a defence variant for high-altitude multi-utility use cases, including relief and supply missions in remote and challenging environments. The aircraft’s ability to operate in difficult conditions and deliver essential supplies to otherwise inaccessible regions highlights its versatility and critical role in defence operations,” Vatsavaya added.
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Dharamapuri said that an air ambulance is another area they are looking at for the future. “We want to bring BluJ reach (the cargo variant) to the market by 2026 and BluJ Hop (the passenger variant), which is in the design stage now, by 2028. It will be able to carry six to seven passengers,” he added.
Vatsavaya noted that using an electric and hydrogen-propulsion engine proves to be four times more efficient in range than a fully battery-operated engine. “We see ourselves as manufacturers and creators of this aircraft and we hope to get into operations in the future for various clients,” he added.
In their first round of funding, BluJ received support of Rs 18 crore from leading venture capital firms, including Endiya Partners, Ideaspring Capital, and Rainmatter Capital by Zerodha.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
