.jpg "Indian start-up achieves break-through in Aero Engine design with Digital Twin")
This Indian DeepTech start-up has recently achieved a breakthrough in the design of State-of-the-Art Aero-Engines for Cruise Missiles and Large UAVs recognized by DPIIT “Startup India” program. With a team of 35 engineers including Chief Engineers with Global OEM experience and expertise, PhDs and talented graduates from Global Universities including students from IITs, Paninian has embarked on this challenging journey of designing and developing state of the art Aero-Engines also known as Turbofan Engines to power our critical Defence needs.
For the first time ever in the Indian private sector Paninian has successfully demonstrated the design and validation of a 4.5 KN Turbojet Engine which is further being developed into a family of engines in the range of 3-12 KN thrust, along with AI augmented digital twin companions.
The other breakthrough is in terms of developing an Artificial Intelligence driven Digital Twin for Legacy engine performance modelling and prognostics for supporting Mission performance and life extension efforts for IAF aircrafts like Jaguar, Sukhoi and Mirage-2000. This can now serve as a tool to study the extension of engines and greatly assist the IAF and Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification in their study of performance degradation. Such Digital Twin which are required for cutting-edge Prognostics, Engine Health and Performance Monitoring have been conceived entirely from scratch in India by Indian engineers. Now India can carry out life extension of engines locally and accurately without resorting to foreign assistance.
Dr.Gouda, a former Senior Scientist and Program Director in DRDO, currently serving as an technology advisor for Paninian, brought out that such digital twin can also be 3D printed to develop future power requirements of cruise missiles and large UAVs for India as well as for exports. “With design / development centres in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune, I feel Paninian is quite well poised to attract the very best of the global Indian talent in Engineering and Manufacturing to join in this exciting journey”, he added.
Paninian intends to develop and manufacture these complete families of engines ranging between 3-12 KN within India using state of the art 3D Printing technology.
The founder Raghu Adla also said that he’s “immensely grateful to many senior Industry leaders from Lockheed Martin, GE, Rolls Royce including senior leaders from DRDO, IAF, IIT and IISc research faculty who have been supporting this journey.” He also emphasised on the need for the public sector to support such start up efforts by providing grants, access to laboratories. He added that Paninian is seeking potential collaborations from both public and private players to help scale the effort further to successfully take this to the end users in the shortest time possible.
This innovation could go a long way in the “Make in India” program to make the country “Atmanirbhar” in the strategic field of aero engines. “I am glad to dedicate this innovation to the country on the eve of “Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav”, Raghu added.
Paninian is also participating in the upcoming Wargame conducted by Insighteon Consulting, a pioneer consulting firm in Aerospace and Defence, to identify barriers in the development of indigenous aero engines in India, being held in August 2022.
