BITS-Hyderabad startup delivers indigenous combat drones to Indian Army  

Apollyon Dynamics, a defence-tech startup founded by students of BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus, delivered indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles to Indian Army units in Jammu, Chandimandir, Panagarh and Arunachal Pradesh.

The startup, born at BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus and run by Jayant Khatri and Sourya Choudhury, delivered the units within two months of beginning operations, according to an official disclosure.

Taking pride, the startup recently demonstrated its technology on the campus before Chancellor and chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla. According to officials, the work of its young graduates underscores the vital role of BITS Pilani in nurturing deep-tech innovation for national impact.

The startup specialises in the design and manufacturing of custom unmanned aerial systems tailored for India’s defence and surveillance needs. The systems are built in-house and the focus is on reliability and adaptability to terrains and missions.

The trainer UAV, it said, is widely adopted by Army units for ease of use and design. The startup also provides hands-on training for soldiers, ensuring that even those without prior flying experience can become drone operators in a short time.

According to Khatri and Choudhury, their lineup includes multi-role aerial vehicles for long-range surveillance, tactical payload delivery and high-precision kamikaze operations. The kamikaze platform can fly at speeds exceeding 300 km per hour and deliver payloads up to 1 kg with high accuracy, they said.

The duo is now working on next-gen Vertical Take Off and Landing platforms and fixed-wing systems, it stated.