AquaAirX Secures ₹12.5 Crore in Funding to Develop Revolutionary Dual-Domain Drones
Bengaluru-based robotics startup AquaAirX, renowned for its cutting-edge drone technology, has successfully secured ₹12.5 crore in a recent funding round spearheaded by Rainmatter, the investment arm of Zerodha. This round also attracted backing from Prime Venture Partners, Wyser, and India Accelerator.
Founded by Gouthami TS and Jitendra Kumar Purnmal Saini, AquaAirX is innovating unmanned platforms specifically designed to seamlessly transition between aerial flight and underwater operations. This groundbreaking approach negates the necessity of separate drones for distinct air and sea missions.
The startup asserts that this dual-capability innovation will facilitate continuous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, markedly enhancing response times while simultaneously reducing operational risks.
AquaAirX aims to commence manufacturing and aims to penetrate both defense and commercial markets by 2027.
The infusion of fresh capital will primarily be allocated towards the development of the company’s core technology stack. Key areas of focus include:
- System autonomy
- Control systems
- Sensing technologies
- Communication capabilities
Additionally, the startup plans to bolster the reliability of air-to-water transitions, expand its engineering and research personnel, and invest in rigorous testing, validation, and certification processes to comply with defense-grade standards.
Gouthami, co-founder and CEO of AquaAirX, articulated, The future of maritime intelligence and surveillance will be defined by platforms that can seamlessly operate across domains.
This funding enables us to accelerate our vision of creating indigenous, mission-ready amphibious and underwater autonomous systems, fundamentally transforming maritime operations for both defense and critical commercial applications.
Moreover, AquaAirX is in the development phase of a Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (HAUV), engineered for precise underwater inspection, monitoring, and intervention, specifically targeting defense and commercial applications.
Saini, co-founder and CTO, emphasized the existing limitations in maritime operations, stating, Today’s maritime operations are constrained by siloed platforms that operate either in the air or underwater, resulting in intelligence and response time gaps.
Our ambition is to eliminate this fragmentation by constructing autonomous systems capable of transitioning between domains while ensuring reliability, discretion, and mission readiness.
Rainmatter expressed confidence in AquaAirX’s multi-domain autonomy approach. Abhinav Singh Negi, investment manager at Rainmatter, remarked, “They are not merely developing a vehicle; they are establishing foundational architecture for true autonomy across air and underwater realms.”
Source link: M.economictimes.com.
