Propelled by advancements in research, a thriving commercial aviation sector and government initiatives like Make in India, India’s aerospace industry is on the rise, especially here in Chennai. While it is primarily known for its automotive industry, the coastal city is also a hotspot for cutting-edge aerospace companies making everything from airplanes and spacecraft to drones and eVTOLs. The ones listed below are worth keeping an eye on.
Top Aerospace Companies in Chennai
- Intelsat
- Boeing
- KBR
- Aero360
- Space Zone India
- The ePlane Company
- Parmanu Aerospace
Top Aerospace Companies in Chennai
Intelsat is a communications satellite company that provides services, including data networking and telecommunications, through its extensive network of satellites. The company serves government and military organizations as well as telecom companies and ISPs. One of its areas of focus is offering inflight internet connectivity in aviation contexts, including business jets, commercial planes and government aeronautics.
Boeing specializes in the design, manufacturing and servicing of commercial, military and space aircraft. The Arlington,Virginia-based company has been involved in India since the 1940s, and continues to play a key role in the country’s evolving commercial and armed forces aviation. Boeing India, the company’s Indian subsidiary, is headquartered in Delhi and has field services offices in Mumbai, Hindan, Rajali and New Delhi. It also has engineering and technology centers in Bangalore and Chennai.
American engineering and technology firm KBR works with governments and companies working in various markets across the industrial, defense and aerospace sectors, including space exploration. With a global presence spanning several continents, the company currently serves customers in more than 80 countries. In India, it has offices in Bangalore, Gurgaon, Pune and Chennai, where it opened a second location in 2023 in order to triple its workforce in the region.
Aero360 designs, develops and manufactures autonomous drones created for aerial surveying, mapping, surveillance and security operations across India. It also offers software and AI-based analytics services to support the drones’ performance. Founded in Chennai in 2018, the company works across the mining, forestry, agriculture, infrastructure, oil and gas, defense and disaster management industries.
Space Zone India is a Chennai-based company that aims to provide low-cost, long-term solutions for space exploration. In addition to manufacturing products like satellites, glider aircraft and agriculture drones, the company is perhaps best known for RHUMI — a hybrid rocket capable of carrying a payload of up to 100 kg in low-earth orbit. RHUMI was launched in 2023, making it the first hybrid rocket in India to accomplish such a feat.
Incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, The ePlane Company is one of the few companies in the world to have successfully designed and developed flying taxis. Its flagship product, the e200, is two-seater (pilot and passenger) electric aircraft. Measuring 5x5 meters and capable of carrying a 200 kg payload, the e200 is designed to be 10-times faster than normal intra-city commute and cargo transport times. The startup is expected to conduct its first passenger flights by 2025, and could begin conducting last-mile deliveries as early as 2024.
Chennai-based aerospace startup Parmanu Aerospace develops solar-powered agriculture drones and delivery drones. It is also in the midst of developing what it refers to as a “high altitude pseudo satellite” — a drone that can fly in the stratosphere continuously for several months only on solar power — which will be useful in wireless communication, remote sensing, surveillance and earth observation, according to the company.
