Apollyon Dynamics drone hits 498 km/h, sets South Asia speed record

Record-setting drone and its purpose

Hyderabad-based defence tech startup Apollyon Dynamics has set a new speed record for multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in South Asia, according to YourStory. Its electric interceptor drone, Ahuti Mk II, achieved a certified top speed of 498 km/h, as recognized by the India Book of Records.

The drone is designed for high-speed interception of hostile drones and loitering munitions, addressing a growing need for autonomous aerial defence systems in the region.

Founders and incubation background

Apollyon Dynamics was founded in 2025 by Jayant Khatri and Sourya Choudhary. The startup was incubated at BITS Pilani’s Hyderabad campus, where Khatri’s journey began with a Rs 2 lakh SOLVE grant. This early funding supported his first 3D printer and motors for a prosthetics project, which later evolved into the company’s focus on high-performance UAVs.

The record-setting Ahuti Mk II was developed by a team including Aman Virani, Manas Vichare, and Ishaan Suri. It builds on the original Ahuti prototype, which reached approximately 300 km/h in 2025.

Engineering and development process

The progression from the original Ahuti prototype to the Ahuti Mk II involved extensive testing, iteration, and refinement over less than a year, according to co-founder Sourya Choudhary. The team’s effort focused on developing a high-speed unmanned platform capable of meeting defence-grade performance requirements.

Khatri described the 498 km/h speed as "an important validation of our engineering approach and the work undertaken by the team."

Future roadmap and ecosystem impact

Apollyon Dynamics is working toward a Power Cruise Missile platform by 2030, aiming to combine speed, autonomy, scalability, and cost efficiency. The startup has already fielded platforms with the Indian Army, indicating progress in deploying its technology for defence applications.

Prof V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice Chancellor of BITS Pilani, highlighted the achievement as an example of how academic and entrepreneurial ecosystems can translate engineering ideas into real-world defence solutions. The record also underscores the role of BITS Pilani’s Technology Business Incubator in nurturing deeptech ventures from early-stage experiments to nationally recognized milestones.

What this means

Lazyfounder analysis — our interpretation, not reported fact.

Apollyon Dynamics’ record-setting drone is a signal for Indian deeptech founders—especially those in defence and aerospace. The achievement shows that academic incubators like BITS Pilani’s can turn early-stage engineering experiments into commercially viable, high-performance platforms. For founders, this underscores the value of tapping into university ecosystems for funding, mentorship, and credibility, particularly in sectors where regulatory hurdles and proof-of-concept costs are high.

The speed record also sets a benchmark for competitors in the defence tech space, indicating that the market for autonomous aerial systems in India is maturing beyond prototypes to platforms that meet military-grade performance standards. For investors, it’s a data point suggesting that hardware-focused startups with clear defence applications can achieve rapid iteration and validation—key factors in evaluating risk and scalability.