The collaboration brings together flight-critical systems, aerospace engineering and certification expertise to support Shunya's path to first flight
BENGALURU, India, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tata Elxsi, a global leader in design and technology services, and Sarla Aviation, an advanced air mobility company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of Shunya, Sarla Aviation's six-seater plus one pilot electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The partnership brings together Sarla Aviation's vision for urban air mobility and Tata Elxsi's expertise in aerospace, software and flight critical digital engineering to support the aircraft's development, testing and certification.
The MoU was signed at Sarla Aviation's newly inaugurated headquarters in Bengaluru in the presence of Manoj Raghavan, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Elxsi; Adrian Schmidt, Co-Founder & CEO, Sarla Aviation; and Rakesh Gaonkar, Co-Founder & CTO, Sarla Aviation, along with members of the aerospace and engineering teams from both organisations.
Under the collaboration, Tata Elxsi will provide engineering support across avionics such as flight control systems, software integration, testing, verification and validation, and certification, while Sarla Aviation will lead the design, development and type certification of the Shunya platform. The engagement also creates opportunities to extend support across sensor fusion based navigation software, industrial and structural design, and airworthiness test support.
Designed for 300 Km+ range of flight operations, Shunya combines 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. The development reflects the growing role of Indian Aerospace companies in next-generation aircraft and advanced air mobility platforms.
Adrian Schmidt, Co-Founder & CEO, Sarla Aviation, said: "Building a new class of aircraft is not simply an engineering challenge. It requires bringing together people and organisations willing to solve problems that have never been solved before in this market. Tata Elxsi's experience in complex aerospace systems gives us access to capabilities that are critical as we take Shunya from concept to reality. What excites me most about this collaboration is that it brings together two teams that believe advanced air mobility can move from ambition to everyday infrastructure much sooner than many think."
Manoj Raghavan, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Elxsi, said: "Every major shift in transportation has been enabled by a combination of engineering innovation and ecosystem readiness. Advanced air mobility is no different, and Sarla Aviation's vision for Shunya reflects the ambition driving this transformation. Initiatives like this create opportunities to apply expertise built across aerospace, mobility and digital technologies to entirely new aviation platforms."
Jayaraj Rajapandian, Head of Aerospace, Tata Elxsi, added: "Shunya is a reminder of how quickly aerospace innovation is evolving in shaping the Technology landscape in India. As aircraft become increasingly fly-by-wire, electrified and connected, entirely new opportunities are emerging to rethink how people, goods and critical services move. We are excited to work alongside Sarla Aviation as they take this vision forward and contribute to the next phase of its journey."
Beyond Shunya, the partnership is expected to help strengthen capabilities relevant to logistics, air ambulance services and defence-related applications.
For Tata Elxsi, Advanced Air Mobility is a natural extension of the Connected, Autonomous and Electrification transformation reshaping transportation. By bringing together expertise from aerospace and mobility, Tata Elxsi is helping build the foundations for advanced air mobility platforms in the country.
About Tata Elxsi
Tata Elxsi is a global design and technology services company that helps customers reimagine products and services through innovation, design, digital technologies and engineering. The company partners with leading organisations across transportation, media and communications, and healthcare to build connected, intelligent and sustainable solutions at scale.
With expertise across aerospace engineering, intelligent mobility, software-defined systems, electrification, digital engineering and AI-led product development, Tata Elxsi supports customers in developing next-generation platforms and systems that are shaping the future of transportation.
For more information, please visit www.tataelxsi.com.
About Sarla Aviation
Sarla Aviation is an Indian aerospace company headquartered in Bangalore, developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for advanced air mobility. Founded in 2023 by Adrian Schmidt and Rakesh Gaonkar, who previously worked together at Lilium, the company is developing Shunya, an eVTOL aircraft designed to connect cities and regions, starting in India, with faster and more efficient travel. Beyond the aircraft itself, Sarla Aviation is also building the ecosystem needed to operate it reliably at scale. The company's mission is to bring affordable, sustainable air taxi services to India and beyond. For more information, please visit https://www.sarla-aviation.com/ .
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