VTOL Aviation India Abhiyaan ENU800

Abhiyaan ENU800
VTOL Aviation India PVT. LTD.
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
www.vtolaviations.com

On July 13, 2017, VTOL Aviation India was founded by Mr Kalyan Chowdhury in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The goal of the company is to be the first in the Indian aerospace sector to make hybrid-electric and all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) passenger aircraft. The reason for this is to achieve the "Make in India" goal, a government-launched initiative to encourage 100% of a product to be manufactured domestically. The company is partnering with the Indian Institute Of Technology-Kanpur and with the EFC Group of Companies. The company has designed and manufactured multiple types of drones. VTOL Aviation India has been funded with $150 million with the plan for $2 billion total investment from internal sources and bank loans.

The Abhiyaan ENU800 is an autonomous multiple power source (hybrid-electric VTOL or eVTOL) heavy-lift military cargo drone concept design aircraft. The aircraft can carry a payload as heavy as 200 kg (441 lb). The power source (either hybrid-electric or all-electric) will be determined by needs of the mission required by the military branch purchasing the drone. The Abhiyaan ENU800 has been made specifically for military use and can be used as a cargo drone as well as an combat drone.

The aircraft has eight dedicated VTOL propellers, one pusher propeller for forward and reverse flight, has a carbon fiber composite fuselage, has one high wing, one rear T-tail and has tricycle fixed-wheeled landing gear. The Abhiyaan ENU800 is a  very similar to the design of the two seat Abhiyaan ENM800 air taxi.

The aircraft has been engineered to reduce the complexity of the drone by having no tilting propellers and no retractable landing gear. Lowing the complexity of a drone reduces the purchase cost of the drone, increases the safety of the drone, increases the reliability of the drone and reduces maintenance costs. The drone has also been designed with multiple redundancies which also increases the safety and reliability of the drone. The high-wing increases the range of the drone making the aircraft more useful for military use and also lowers the power needed for forward flight.

VTOL Aviation India's aim is to reshape the future of flight in India with the ultimate breakthrough in clean and safe aviation with everything made in India. The company has not stated when sub-scale or full scales prototypes will be made and tested for the military Abhiyaan ENU800 VTOL autonomous cargo/combat drone.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric or eVTOL heavy-lift military cargo/combat drone
• Piloting: Autonomous
• Capacity: Cargo and/or combat equipment
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Range: Unknown
• Flight Time: Unknown
• Top altitude: 5,500 m (18,044 ft)
• Maximum payload: 200 kg (441 lb)
• Propellers: 9 propellers
• Electric Motors: 9 propellers
• Power source: Hybrid-electric with batteries or battery packs alone
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Wings: 1 high wing
• Tail: 1 t-tail
• Landing gear: Tricycle fixed-wheeled landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are also redundancies in the sub-systems of the aircraft.

Company Insights:

• Tracxn
• The Economic Times (India)
• Zauba Corp
• Easy Leadz

Resources:

• VTOL Aviation India website
• VTOL Aviation India Twitter
• VTOL Aviation LinkedIn
• Indian Institute of Technology website
• Article: Bringing Flying Taxis to the Masses: India’s VTOL Aviation Redefines the Future of Mobility, Auto Futures, Aug. 4, 2019