Sarla Aviation, based in Bengaluru, completed a flight-test campaign for Sylla, its half-scale electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology demonstrator, on July one. The demonstrator logged more than 500 tests and over 18 hours of flight testing across six months, making the 700 kilogram-class (700 kg-class), seven point five metre wingspan aircraft the heaviest electric aircraft ever to take off in India.

Sylla one point zero was built to validate aircraft-level and system-level integration under real operating conditions. The company said the time elapsed from design to flight was under 12 months and that the programme had been conducted within a budget of less than Rs 1,066 million.

The co-founder and chief technology officer, Rakesh Gaonkar, said Sylla had delivered the data engineers sought and that those learnings were shaping development of the next-generation aircraft as the firm moved towards transition and sustained wing-borne flight on its path to a six-plus-one air taxi called Shunya. He described the demonstrator as an important step in maturing the technology prior to full-scale development. The company highlighted that Sylla had provided tangible system-level validation.

The company said it was the first in India to build and fly a 700 kilogram-class (700 kg-class) electric aircraft capable of vertical take-off, to fly a 400-volt electric power-train architecture, to demonstrate a distributed-propulsion wing system and to complete full-stack ground testing in line with airworthiness regulations. The demonstrator accumulated data that will inform control, propulsion and integration work for subsequent designs. Engineers will apply insights from the campaign to reduce risk during transition to sustained wing-borne operations.

The flight-test campaign, conducted over six months, also provided endurance and handling data across demanding real-world profiles. The company intends to use the results to refine system integration and to progress towards certification and commercial development of its broader Shunya air taxi concept.