Enlite’s unmanned cargo helicopters set to be ready for commercial use by H1 of 2026
M Mohanakannan, CEO, Enlite Helicopters and and J Subramanian, Lead Investor and Mentor, Enlite Helicopters, with R3 Helicopter displated at the AeroDefCon 2025
Enlite Helicopters, a Tiruvallur-based start-up, has developed an unmanned cargo helicopter for transporting packages (up to 70 kg) between cities. The product (R3) which was on display at the AeroDefCon 2025, will be ready by the first half of 2026 for long range trial flights between cities and also be useful for delivering items for Defence personnel in remote terrains and in tough climate conditions, said its CEO M Mohanakannan, who was an engineer with Airbus for nearly five years.
Right now the experimental R2 model (carries load externally) has been successfully flown. The R3 (carried load internally) is in advanced stages of testing and the flights will start soon on getting certified, and will become operational by 2026, he added.
“We have raised about ₹2 crore in the last two years from friends and relatives (basically bootstrapped/ crowd funded). We are going to raise another ₹1 crore as bridge funding to extend the runway for about 6 – 8 months,” he told businessline. “We are also planning for a bigger/larger round in the first half of 2026 from venture capital funds and HNIs/ Startup funders for commercial production and R&D,” he said.
Multicopter layout
On the difference between a larger drone and the company’s helicopter, Mohanakannan said they use multicopter layout for their drones and are powered by batteries. However, the company’s product is of a conventional helicopter configuration and powered by IC engines, he said. This single main rotor & tail rotor setup is more efficient than 4, 8 or 16 rotors spinning to achieve flight, he added.
Battery-powered drones cannot fly beyond 20 to 30 minutes. But the fuel powered drones can fly continuously for 3 hours, he said. “Unlike multicopters, helicopters fly fast. Our machine can fly at a speed of around 200 kmph. Since we have higher flight time and higher speed our range is substantially high at about 500 km,” he added.
Mohanakannan said the high range enables them to fly between cities and ferry cargo. The parcels and courier that took a few days to come from the nearest cities will now take a few hours if this machine is included in the loop, he said.
The company is also exploring transportation of essential supplies the Armed forces in remote border posts where no proper roads are available or of high altitude. “We are engaged in talks with various Defence services and the Indian Army is expecting a flight demonstration soon from us,” he said.
Published on October 7, 2025
