HYDERABAD/CHENNAI: Deeptech aerospace company BluJ Aerospace, which unveiled its second-generation electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft prototype on Tuesday, is looking to raise Series A funding to the tune of $10-15 million.
Amar Sri Vatsavaya, founder-CEO, BluJ Aerospace, in a virtual media interaction, said the prototype developed on Vantis platform after four years of R&D, would be ready for commercial deployment by next year.
While 50 per cent of the platform has been built inouse, the Hyderabad-based company would strive to take it to 75 per cent within two years.
The Gen #2 is also the first commercial-grade aircraft from Vantis, purpose-built for heavy-payload logistics. It carries an active payload target of above 200 kg, operates under a 500 kg maximum take-off weight, and uses a lift plus cruise configuration.
Following Gen #1, the company’s technology demonstrator and India’s first public flight demonstration of a 500 kg class eVTOL aircraft, Gen #2 is now in active flight testing. The pilot is being carried out across India, he said.
Fully battery-powered, Gen #2 takes the platform from technology demonstrator to operational aircraft, is now being used for early customer pilots, payload testing, and real-world logistics mission evaluations as BluJ progressively expands the missions the aircraft can handle.
Vantis is designed with scalability built in, extending to larger VTOL aircraft, including a one-ton payload class for heavy logistics and hydrogen-electric long-range passenger variants.
On the hydrogen-electric propulsion front, BluJ has already developed a ground version of the system, including an in-house Type IV composite hydrogen tank, and is progressing toward a flight version. Hydrogen-electric long-range variants are targeted for 2027 to 2028, with BluJ collaborating with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Cochin International Airport Limited on hydrogen ecosystem development.
To a query, he said BluJ's at the moment is not focused on passenger aircraft as the tech stack for it needs to be developed.
Also, the latest aircraft is 40 per cent lighter than the first one.