Hyderabad startup's Ahuti Mk II becomes India's fastest multirotor UAV at 498 kmph

Hyderabad-based defence startup Apollyon Dynamics' electric multirotor interceptor Ahuti Mk II has clocked 498 kmph, making it the fastest multirotor UAV in India and earning a spot in the India Book of Records. The speed is over 170 kmph higher than the previous recorded drone speed in India. The startup, incubated at BITS Pilani Hyderabad, redesigned the drone through about 10 iterations of its frame, propulsion, and motor configuration to achieve the feat. It uses a burst current of 400 amperes, and has already supplied kamikaze drones at 300 kmph to the Indian Army, with trials conducted at military ranges including Babina and Gopalpur. Apollyon focuses on making counter-drone systems economically viable, using a "strike envelope per rupee" metric. The company also plans to develop a large cruise-missile platform capable of carrying thousands of kilograms of explosives by 2032, with former Agni missile programme director Professor M Rama Manohara Babu on its advisory board.