In late October 2023, Indian UAM startup BluJ Aerospace conducted a successful test flight of its prototype Reach unmanned eVTOL cargo platform at an airfield outside the company’s home city of Hyderbad. As competition within the UAM domain ramps up around the around, the startup hopes to establish the foundations for a domestic eVTOL design and production base in India.
BluJ is seeking first to break out into the autonomous cargo delivery segment with its Reach eVTOL platform. The autonomous aircraft features a 100 kg payload and prospective range of 300 kms. The Reach achieves flight via four propellers for vertical lift as well as two pushers, with BluJ aiming to utilize a hydrogen-electric propulsion suite. The company hopes to begin cargo operations as early as 2026. By the 2030s, BluJ also hopes to introduce a passenger eVTOL solution – designated the Hop – onto the market.
