Apollyon Dynamics, a defence technology startup incubated at BITS Pilani’s Hyderabad campus, has entered the India Book of Records after its electric interceptor ‘Ahuti Mk II’ achieved a certified top speed of 498 km/h, earning recognition for the maximum speed achieved by a multirotor UAV, officials said.
Based on currently available public data, no other multirotor aircraft in South Asia has matched or exceeded this speed, they claimed.
Founded by Jayant Khatri and Sourya Choudhary, Apollyon Dynamics was incorporated in 2025. The company develops autonomous aerial and unmanned systems for the Indian armed forces and has fielded systems with the Indian Army. The record-setting Ahuti Mk II was developed by Aman Virani (Shady), Manas Vichare and Ishaan Suri.
The Ahuti Mk II evolved from the original Ahuti (a drone), which achieved approximately 300 km/h in 2025. The team rebuilt the aircraft for a high-speed interceptor role designed to counter hostile drones and loitering munitions.
In less than a year, its top speed increased to 498 km/h, showing a gain of nearly 200 km/h and an approximately 66 per cent increase over the original platform.
“Ahuti Mk II was developed with a specific focus on high-speed interception, which required us to rethink the aircraft’s design and performance parameters. Reaching a certified top speed of 498 km/h is an important validation of the engineering approach and the work undertaken by the team,” Khatri, one of the co-founders, said.
“The recognition by the India Book of Records marks a milestone in the development of Ahuti Mk II and reflects the engineering and testing undertaken by the team,” he added.
Choudhary, another co-founder, explained that the journey from approximately 300 km/h with the original Ahuti in 2025 to 498 km/h with Ahuti Mk II in less than a year involved extensive testing, iteration and refinement.
“The development of Ahuti Mk II is an example of how an academic and entrepreneurial ecosystem can support the translation of engineering ideas into real-world applications. We are pleased to see the work emerging from the BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus ecosystem progress from development and testing to a recognised achievement in unmanned systems,” said V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani.
Set up in 2006, India Book of Records is a platform for documenting India’s extraordinary human achievements. (PTI)