BluJ Aerospace launches Gen #2 eVTOL aircraft on VANTIS platform

Hyderabad-based aerospace company BluJ Aerospace has introduced the Gen #2 prototype, the first aircraft developed on its VANTIS platform-based architecture after four years of in-house research and development. The company said Gen #2 is the first commercial-grade aircraft from the platform and is currently undergoing active flight testing for heavy-payload logistics operations.

The unveiling follows Gen #1, BluJ’s technology demonstrator and India’s first public flight demonstration of a 500 kg-class eVTOL aircraft. According to the company, Gen #2 marks the shift from a technology demonstrator to an operational aircraft and is being used for early customer pilots, payload testing and logistics mission evaluations.

Gen #2 has been designed for heavy-payload logistics, with an active payload target of over 200 kg and a maximum take-off weight of 500 kg. The fully battery-powered aircraft uses a lift-plus-cruise configuration and has been developed with major subsystems aligned to the standards required for the certified commercial version of REACH.

BluJ said Gen #2 is part of a broader roadmap under VANTIS, a shared technology platform intended to support multiple VTOL aircraft variants across urban and regional transportation, with passenger mobility as a long-term goal. The platform covers the airframe, propulsion, controls and autonomy systems, allowing new aircraft to use already-tested subsystems to reduce development time and costs.

The company added that VANTIS has been designed to scale into larger VTOL aircraft, including one-ton payload models for heavy logistics and hydrogen-electric long-range passenger variants.

“The next major shift in aviation is the move from single product programmes to platform-based architectures. Just as the automotive industry builds multiple vehicles on a common platform, Advanced Air Mobility will need adaptable architectures that scale across missions, payloads and customer use cases,” said Amar Sri Vatsavaya, Founder and CEO of BluJ Aerospace. “Our platform-based approach lets us develop multiple AAM product classes efficiently and at scale.”

BluJ said its commercial pipeline includes infrastructure logistics, express cargo, energy, airports and defence. The company added that it has completed a pilot deployment with a leading power sector PSU for infrastructure logistics and has active defence partnerships with a defence PSU and Indian defence companies.

On hydrogen-electric propulsion, BluJ said it has developed a ground version of the system, including an in-house Type IV composite hydrogen tank, and is progressing towards a flight version. Hydrogen-electric long-range variants are targeted between 2027 and 2028, with collaborations involving Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Cochin International Airport Limited on hydrogen ecosystem development.

“Aerial mobility is a rare category where Indian deep-tech can build globally relevant aerospace intellectual property from the ground up,” said Sateesh Andra, Managing Director of Endiya Partners, adding that BluJ’s Gen #2 flight reflects years of engineering work towards cargo and regional passenger mobility.

Naganand Doraswamy, Managing Partner of Ideaspring Capital, said deep-tech industries are built by teams developing platforms rather than single products and described Gen #2 as the first commercial output of BluJ’s VANTIS architecture.

BluJ operates from a 40,000-square-foot facility in Hyderabad with a team of more than 50 engineers and aerospace specialists. The company said it holds a design patent for its eVTOL architecture, has filed a utility patent for its airframe design and is pursuing additional patents across propulsion and powertrain systems.