Apollyon Dynamics, a defence technology startup incubated at BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus, entered the India Book of Records on 1 September 2026 for developing India’s fastest multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle. Its electric interceptor drone, Ahuti Mk II, recorded a certified top speed of 498 km/h, which exceeded the earlier Indian multirotor benchmark of 325 km/h.
Multirotor UAVs
A multirotor UAV is an unmanned aerial vehicle that uses multiple rotors for lift and control. Common multirotor configurations include quadcopters, hexacopters, and octocopters, and they are widely used for surveillance, mapping, photography, and payload delivery.
Ahuti Mk II and interceptor drones
Ahuti Mk II was designed as a high-speed interceptor drone rather than a surveillance or photography platform. Interceptor drones are built to chase and neutralise hostile drones and loitering munitions, which are also called kamikaze drones in defence usage.
The original Ahuti model, developed in 2025, was clocked at about 300 km/h. The Mk II version was rebuilt from the ground up in less than one year and achieved a 66% increase in speed over the earlier model.
Development, incubation and team
The startup was founded by Jayant Khatri and Sourya Choudhary. Khatri’s undergraduate work received support from BITS Pilani’s SOLVE programme, which provided a ₹2 lakh prototype grant.
The technical team behind the record-setting UAV included high-speed drone pilot Aman Virani, also known as Shady, along with Manas Vichare and Ishaan Suri. Apollyon Dynamics has also fielded some of its unmanned systems with units of the Indian Army.
Important Facts for Exams
- The India Book of Records is a record-keeping organisation in India that documents verified national achievements.
- Ahuti Mk II is an electric interceptor drone with a certified top speed of 498 km/h.
- Loitering munitions are unmanned systems that can remain airborne before striking a target.
- BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus is one of the campuses of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani.
Roadmap and terminology
Apollyon Dynamics has announced an engineering roadmap that includes a high-capacity power cruise missile platform by 2030. Media coverage has also used the spellings “Apollian Dynamics” and “Aahuti MK-2” in some references to the company and the drone.
