Gurugram: With the support of Deepinder Goyal, a co-founder of Zomato, LAT Aerospace has opened a specialised propulsion research centre in Bengaluru to create India’s first domestic gas turbine engines from the ground up.
The company wants to take a big step toward aeronautical self-reliance by creating engines that are lightweight, effective, and flight-ready to power STOL aircraft, UAVs and remote connection systems.
“India has tried building gas turbine engines before. And we’ve come close. At LAT, we want to get past the finish line,” Goyal writes in a LinkedIn post.
Advanced labs for materials development, combustion, turbomachinery and thermal systems will be housed in the new building. This effort is unique since it prioritises engineering. “There will be no meetings or chasing slides, just hands-on problem solving, building hardware, and running tests,” he says, adding that engineers, not business executives, will be leading the team.
Surobhi Das, Co-founder of LAT Aerospace and former COO of Zomato, shares in a LinkedIn post, underscoring the ambition behind the initiative. “Since we started LAT, this is all we’ve heard — ‘Engines are the holy grail, more complex than the aircraft itself.’ Now, we want to build one, from scratch. Lightweight. Efficient. Flight-ready. Made in India,” she writes.
In a recent update, Deepinder Goyal—who has been closely linked to LAT’s vision—echoed the project’s ambitions by highlighting speed, independence and outcome-driven engineering. “It won’t be easy. But if it works, it changes everything,” he states.
