Hyderabad Startup’s Ahuti Mk II Becomes India’s Fastest Multirotor UAV
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.
IIT Madras, UNESCO MGIEP Partner on AI Learning Tools
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) in Chennai and the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (UNESCO MGIEP) signed a cooperation agreement on 1 September 2026 to develop next-generation AI and immersive learning technologies. The partnership combines UNESCO MGIEP’s work in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) with IIT Madras expertise in artificial intelligence, Extended Reality (XR), and game design.
LiDAR Survey to Map Hidden Monuments at Lakkundi
Lakkundi in Gadag district of Karnataka is the site of a six-month LiDAR survey and geospatial mapping project under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, Karnataka, and the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru. The project uses non-invasive digital tools to locate buried structures linked to the Kalyana-Chalukya era, which dates to the 10th to 12th centuries CE.
Tata Elxsi, Sarla Aviation Sign MoU for Shunya eVTOL
Tata Elxsi and Sarla Aviation signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Bengaluru on 1 September 2026 to develop Shunya, an indigenous electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Shunya is planned as a seven-seater eVTOL with six passengers and one pilot, and it is designed for runway-independent operations.
India Inaugurates Green Forge Complex at BRIC-NABI Mohali
India inaugurated its first-of-its-kind Green Forge Complex at the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council-National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (BRIC-NABI) in Mohali, Punjab, on 31 August 2026. The facility is linked to genome and trait engineering, controlled environmental testing, and the BioE3 policy for biotechnology-led biomanufacturing.
Airbus Awards Mahindra Contract for A320neo Fuselage Skins
Airbus awarded Mahindra Aerostructures Pvt. Ltd. (MASPL), a Mahindra Group company, a multi-year contract to manufacture and supply fuselage skins for the A320neo and A321XLR passenger aircraft. The work will be carried out at Mahindra’s Bengaluru facility, and the finished components will be shipped to Airbus Aerostructures’ assembly plant in Augsburg, Germany.
Vice President Launches Gnani Artha Sovereign AI Stack
Vice President of India C. P. Radhakrishnan launched Gnani Artha, an indigenous sovereign Artificial Intelligence stack, at the Uprashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 28 August 2026. The stack was developed by Bengaluru-based voice and conversational AI startup GNANI AI and is designed for data residency and sovereignty for Indian public institutions and enterprises.
Indian Railways Approves ₹170 Crore for Kavach 4.0
Indian Railways approved ₹170 crore for the deployment of Kavach Version 4.0 across the remaining 712 route kilometres of Northern Railway’s Moradabad Division. Kavach is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection system used on Indian Railways for train safety functions such as automatic braking and speed regulation.
MoSPI Signs MoU with Thapar Institute for Statistical Cooperation
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology in Patiala, Punjab, on 31 August 2026. The agreement covers a joint research study on a Predictive and Analytical Framework for Monthly Consumption Expenditures in India.
BHASHINI Shilpi Session Held in Kathmandu
The Digital India BHASHINI Division organised the BHASHINI Shilpi developer session at the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 31 August 2026. The session was held under the Digital India Corporation and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, and focused on Language AI and multilingual digital services.
Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO
Apple has announced a leadership transition in which Tim Cook ends his tenure as Chief Executive Officer on 31 August 2026 and John Ternus takes over as CEO on 1 September 2026. Cook, aged 65, moves to the role of Executive Chairman of Apple’s board of directors, while Ternus becomes the company’s new chief executive after a 25-year association with Apple.
NASA Launches Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on 30 August 2026 at 7:26 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The observatory flew on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and began a three-month transfer to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, or L2, about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.