Nabhdrishti Aerospace: Building India’s first Jet Engine

November 11, 2024 | Authors: Jashan Khandwala and Valerie Mendonca

Nabhdrishti Aerospace is a deep tech startup, co-founded in April 2023 by Rohit Chouhan and Arjun Srivatsa. Based out of Bengaluru, the startup is designing and developing India’s first fuel-flex micro gas turbine with applications in the aviation and power generation industries. The founder duo brings with them 35 years of collective experience in the gas turbine industry and aims to challenge the dominance of international gas turbine manufacturers, thus reducing India’s dependence on imported engines. The startup has been incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

👉 Fuel flex micro gas turbine is a compact combustion engine that is designed to run on more than one fuels, converting natural gas or other liquid fuels into mechanical energy, which can then be used to drive mechanical equipment or generate electricity.

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Jet Engine Technology

Nabhdrishti’s fuel flex micro gas turbine has one of its applications as jet engines

A layout of components and sections of a jet engine

In a jet engine, air enters the front intake and is compressed in the cold section, after which it is forced into combustion chambers where fuel is sprayed and the mixture of air and fuel is ignited. The ignited air quickly compels out of the exhaust, producing a reaction force that makes the jet move forward.

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Why have only four countries in the world succeeded in designing and manufacturing jet engines independently?

Manufacturing of jet engines needs extreme precision and advanced technology.

Achieving synchronisation between individual components of the jet engine ensures limited variation in their individual functioning. This process involves extensive research, development of high-temperature resistant materials sustaining [2000°C](https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/ww2/projects/jet-airplanes/how.html#:~:text=Inside the typical commercial jet,cooling techniques must be used.), and meticulous testing to ensure each part functions correctly, both individually and as part of the larger system.

Jet engine manufacturing countries highlighted on world map [US, UK, France and Russia]

While building the technology requires a highly skilled workforce dedicated to the long gestation periods, developing and manufacturing jet engines also requires substantial investment, often reaching billions of dollars. This financial barrier makes it difficult for new players to enter the field.

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The jet engine’s origins can be traced back to World War II, when Germany’s urgent need for more advanced aircraft technology led to its development. The necessity of the time served as a powerful catalyst for rapid innovation in this field. After the war, the Allies imposed restrictions on Germany’s industrial capabilities, including limitations on industries with potential military applications. Over the decades, the jet engine expertise has been concentrated within US, UK, France and Russia, with the rest of the world importing jet engines from this quartet.

Although Chinese engineers have been able to reverse-engineer Russian airframes, the technology has been much more difficult to duplicate without access to complex manufacturing processes. These four countries have maintained strict export controls and safeguarded their technological know-how through strongly enforced intellectual property rights, making it difficult for new players to catch up.

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Analysing Nabhdrishti’s entry into the jet engine market from the lens of the DVF Framework

The Desirability, Viability, and Feasibility (DVF) Framework, ****central in design thinking process, ****was developed by IDEO, a global design and consulting firm, to develop and test ideas. Desirability focuses on whether people need and want the product, feasibility examines if it can be built from a technical standpoint, and viability assesses its financial sustainability, ensuring the business can thrive.

In the entrepreneurship context, the DVF framework can guide market entry decisions, as framed by Daniel Galletta, founder of SlideScience. We use these three — desirability, feasibility, and viability—along with Nabhdrishti Aerospace’s execution plan to analyse its entry in the jet engine market.

Desirability

Nabhdrishti Aerospace’s micro gas turbines are primarily designed for use as jet engines as well as industrial engines for Distributed Power Generation (DG). India imported its first jet engine during the 1950s as part of its early fighter aircraft development efforts. A total of 19,100+ aircraft engine units were imported till June, 2024. According to the forecasts from a simulation, the Indian defence and aerospace industry indicates a significant domestic demand for 9000+ jet engines in the next 20 years, primarily for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), cruise missiles, small trainer aircrafts, and helicopters.

The market for [industrial gas turbine](https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/industrial-gas-turbine-market#:~:text=The market size of industrial,shift towards cleaner energy sources.), which is used in DG, was valued at USD 8.2 billion in 2023, and expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% from 2024 to 2032.

👉 Distributed Power Generation (DG) is where electricity is generated close to the point of use rather than centralised power plants, to compensate the electricity loss that occurred during transmission over long distances.

👉 *Simulation, conducted in August 2022, was an attempt to create a road map for the development of a local aeronautical engine ecosystem by retired defence scientists and officers, leaders of defence companies, bureaucrats, among others.*

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As of January 2024, prominent jet engine manufacturers include Pratt & Whitney (US), General Electric (US), Honeywell Aerospace (US), Safran (France), Rolls-Royce (UK), Aviadvigatel (Russia), NPO Saturn (Russia). General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, CFM International (A 50/50 joint venture of General electric and Safran Aircraft Engines), and Rolls-Royce, when considered together with their joint ventures, control the largest share of the world's aircraft engine market at a combined percentage of around [98%](https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/32417-who-are-the-world-s-largest-aircraft-engine-manufacturers#:~:text=In conclusion%3A who are the,combined percentage of around 98%25.).

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Viability

In early 2024, the startup raised USD 0.46 million in a pre-seed round led by IIMA Ventures to fund product design and fuel flex combustion testing. Subsequent rounds would involve raising funds for product demonstrations, validations and certifications before launching their jet engine in the market.

The average import base price for engines (similar to Nabhdrishti’s jet engine) ranges between INR 50-80 million making the projected cumulative monetary requirement for the 9000 jet engines for the next 20 years in India amount to INR 450-720 billion - approximately equal to USD 6-9 billion.

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As of July 2024 the startup was in its pre-revenue stages, focused on building a prototype of their first product. It aims to achieve USD 140 million in annual revenues by 2033, looking to capture a 50% market share in India’s micro gas turbine sector and 10% share of the global market.

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The startup faces several risks, including a long gestation period during which competitors may come up with a superior innovation - rendering Nabhdrishti’s product obsolete. The technological challenges of jet engine manufacturing and stringent compliance certifications required by the aviation industry are other challenges that the founders will need to address before taking the product to the market. Nabhdrishti would need to navigate and invest heavily in manufacturing. The costs of manufacturing and the pricing strategy will determine the market value of the startup in the long run. While the risks are high for the early-stage deeptech startup, achieving short-term profitability could potentially position it for long-term growth.