EndureAir bags INR 30.01 Crore RDI funding, Accelerating Project SABAL-200, an Indigenous Heavy-Lift UAV technology.
EndureAir bags the funding from the Research, Development , and Innovation fund (RDIF) under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) , with support of Technology Development board for our project SABAL -200. The SABAL 200 is designed specifically for missions where conventional logistics can be slow, risky, or difficult to exploit, particularly in elevated altitude regions, rough pathways, unoperated roads, and disaster-stricken areas.
The SABAL 200 model is developed on the technical foundation of SABAL 20 and SABAL 40. This prototype has the ability to transport a weight of 200 kg and climb to an altitude of 200 km. The experimental vertical takeoff aircraft weights 600 kg at the maximum takeoff weight and has a variable-pitch rotor system. By using 2.5 hours at the maximum speed, it can travel as far as 200km without changing your flight capacity.
For defence applications, SABAL 200 can support high altitude logistics, mission supply movement, surveillance, emergency loads, and strategic operations in remote terrain. For civilian applications, it can support cargo transportation, disaster response, grid maintenance, infrastructure support, and emergency supply movement across hard to access regions.
Essentially, the SABAL 200 is a turbocharged internal combustion engine combined with a variable pitch rotor system. The very structure of this particular model is delivered to the end user with a set of features like lift efficiency, endurance, thrust control, stable heavy load handling, precision hover, and even equipped with redundancy management for heavily demanding missions.
With the help of RDI funding, EndureAir aims to enable SABAL 200 to transition fromTRL 5 to TRL 9 by means of prototype development, subsystem integration, ground testing, flight trials, safety validation, and mission level demonstrations. Additionally, the funding will cover research and development, technology advancements, manufacturing growth, and more robust field testing infrastructure.
Founded in 2018 within the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur ecosystem, EndureAir has evolved from an academic research initiative into a developer of mission-ready UAV systems. The company designs and builds its platforms in-house, with a focus on systems suited to India’s operating conditions.
Apart from product development, the primary objective of SABAL 200 is to support India in technology transition to high payload UAVs. The initiative has the potential to cut back on reliance on foreign manufactured aircraft systems, be the driver for skilled job creation in the UAV sectors and in addition to that, it could be a stepping stone towards India's entry into the global cargo drone machinery export market.
“SABAL 200 is our mission to provide an UAV capability for logistics, surveillance, disaster response, and strategic operations from India”, said Prof. Abhishek, Director and Founder of the EndureAir Systems. This support within the RDI gives us the confidence to move this platform forward with more concentration and responsibility.
This is a proud moment for the entire team and a strong step toward building India’s next-generation heavy-lift UAV capability.
Fly With Purpose.