Tata Elxsi, a company specializing in design and technology services, announced on Tuesday the signing of a preliminary agreement with the startup Sarla Aviation. The collaboration will focus on jointly developing the Shunya air taxi platform, based in Bengaluru.
As part of this partnership, Tata Elxsi will provide avionics engineering support. This support will cover flight control systems, software integration, testing, verification and validation, as well as certification.
Sarla Aviation, for its part, will lead the design, development, and type certification processes for the Shunya platform. The company also noted that this cooperation opens up opportunities to expand support in areas such as sensor fusion navigation software, industrial and structural design, and flightworthiness testing support.
Manoj Raghavan, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Elxsi, stated that such initiatives allow the application of accumulated experience in the aerospace industry, mobility, and digital technologies to create entirely new aviation platforms. He emphasized that advanced air mobility is no exception, and Sarla Aviation's vision for Shunya reflects the ambitions driving this transformation.
In addition to the Shunya project, this collaboration is expected to help strengthen competencies related to logistics, air ambulance services, and defense applications.
The Shunya air taxi is designed for flights over 300 kilometers. It is a seven-seater electric aircraft (including the pilot's seat) that combines Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capability with the efficiency of wing cruising, allowing operations independent of runways and increasing propulsion efficiency.