Endure Air Systems, the IIT Kanpur-incubated start-up building unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and autonomous aerial systems, has secured ₹30 crore from the Government of India’s Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) initiative for its SABAL-200 platform, a next-generation 200-kg payload-class uncrewed aerial system.
Speaking to businessline, Dr Abhishek, Co-founder and Director of EndureAir Systems, said the funding will primarily be deployed towards research and development, prototype development, manufacturing expansion and field-testing infrastructure as the company scales up heavy-lift drone capabilities.
“This 30 crore will be primarily used towards R&D and prototype development, as well as to enhance our manufacturing capability,” he said.
The SABAL-200 platform is powered by a turbocharged internal combustion engine and a variable rotor system, offering an endurance of 2.5 hours and an operational range of 200 km.
The company is positioning the platform for defence logistics, infrastructure operations and power-sector applications in difficult terrains such as mountains, forests and remote regions.
Founded in 2018 and incubated at IIT Kanpur, EndureAir has so far raised over ₹60 crore across funding rounds. The start-up develops indigenous unmanned systems for logistics, surveillance and heavy-lift operations and has been expanding capabilities from small payload drones to larger aerial systems.
“Right now, the biggest segment is actually from the defence side. So, be it army, navy or air force, all of them have requirements for heavy lifting, actually,” Abhishek said.
The company also sees strong demand emerging from the infrastructure and power transmission sectors, particularly for transporting equipment and materials to hard-to-reach locations.
“We see tremendous demand for heavy lifting coming from your infrastructure sector and also the power sector,” he added.
However, Abhishek believes the larger long-term opportunity for India’s drone ecosystem lies in commercial and enterprise applications rather than defence alone.
“The commercial market would allow the technology to mature at a faster pace and really allow us to achieve the right kind of scale,” he said, adding that the company also sees export potential in Europe for its heavy-lift drone platforms.
Published on May 19, 2026