Tata Elxsi, the design and technology services arm of the Tata Group, has partnered with Bengaluru-based advanced air mobility company Sarla Aviation to develop an air taxi capable of carrying six passengers and a pilot.
Designed for flight operations exceeding 300 km, Shunya combines vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability with the efficiency of fixed-wing cruise flight. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Tata Elxsi will contribute its engineering expertise to Sarla Aviation’s Shunya platform, supporting avionics, flight-control systems, software integration, testing, verification and validation, as well as certification activities. Sarla Aviation will lead the aircraft’s overall design and development, along with type certification. The partnership will also explore opportunities in sensor-fusion-based navigation software, industrial and structural design, and airworthiness testing. This enables runway-independent operations while enhancing overall propulsion efficiency.
