Deepinder Goyal, the visionary founder of Zomato and Blinkit, has launched an ambitious new venture — LAT Aerospace — with a bold goal: to design and manufacture India’s first fully indigenous gas turbine engines. The company is setting up a state-of-the-art propulsion research and development centre in Bengaluru and is actively recruiting top engineering talent to help realize this historic milestone.
A Leap Toward Self-Reliance in Aerospace
Gas turbine engines are the backbone of modern aviation — powering everything from fighter jets and helicopters to drones and next-gen regional aircraft. Despite multiple attempts by Indian research institutions and defence organizations over the past few decades, the country has yet to develop a fully indigenous, high-performance gas turbine engine that can meet global standards.
Goyal’s LAT Aerospace aims to change that. In a LinkedIn post that quickly went viral, he wrote:
“India has tried building gas turbine engines before. And we’ve come close. At LAT, we want to get past the finish line.”
The startup’s immediate focus is to create lightweight, flight-ready engines designed for Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are increasingly vital in both civilian and defence applications. The engines will be designed and built entirely in India — a move that aligns with the government’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.
What Is LAT Aerospace?
- LAT Aerospace is a deep-tech startup founded by Deepinder Goyal.
- The company’s mission is to design and manufacture lightweight, efficient, flight-ready gas turbine engines from scratch.
- The engines will be developed 100% in India, aligning with the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat goals.
An R&D Culture Designed for Speed and Innovation
What sets LAT Aerospace apart from traditional institutions, Goyal said, is its radically different approach to research and development. The company is building a high-agility, experimentation-driven research centre equipped with advanced laboratories for combustion science, turbomachinery, thermal systems, fluid dynamics, and materials engineering.
“We’re creating an environment where engineers can think freely, build rapidly, break things, and iterate fast — without being trapped in layers of bureaucracy,” Goyal explained. “This is true innovation culture, where we measure progress by iteration speed and breakthroughs, not paperwork.”
The startup’s recruitment efforts are focused on engineers and researchers with real-world experience in aerospace propulsion systems, turbine blade design, control systems, high-temperature materials, and simulation-driven optimization. Goyal issued an open invitation to such experts:
“If you’ve ever built turbines, rotors, or control systems — and want to be part of something that could rewrite history — write to us at engines@lat.com.”
Why It Matters
- Gas turbine engines are crucial for aircraft, UAVs (drones), and other aerial vehicles.
- Despite multiple attempts by Indian agencies like DRDO, India has never successfully developed a high-performance indigenous gas turbine engine.
- LAT aims to change this by using a startup-style approach: fast prototyping, fewer bureaucratic hurdles, and full R&D freedom.
Why This Matters for India
India’s previous efforts — including the Kaveri engine project by DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) — faced technological and funding hurdles, falling short of delivering an operational engine despite decades of work. LAT Aerospace hopes to avoid those pitfalls through startup-style agility, private funding, and a collaborative approach that blends academic expertise with real-world engineering.
Industry experts are optimistic.
“This is not just a startup — it’s a statement,” said an aerospace analyst from Bengaluru. “If LAT can even partially succeed in building an engine platform from scratch, it will be a game-changer for Indian aviation, defence, and exports.”
Goyal’s Broader Vision
Deepinder Goyal is no stranger to building high-impact ventures. After transforming the food delivery landscape with Zomato and pushing logistics innovation through Blinkit, his interest in aerospace might seem unexpected — but not without precedent.
Earlier this year, Blinkit piloted a 10-minute ambulance service in Delhi-NCR using hyperlocal logistics infrastructure, reducing emergency response times dramatically. In some cases, first responders reached patients within 4–6 minutes, saving lives in scenarios such as cardiac arrests and serious road accidents.
What’s Next?
LAT Aerospace is still in its early days but has already sparked significant excitement in India’s tech and defence circles. If successful, the company’s gas turbine engines could power not only next-gen aircraft but also India’s ambition to emerge as a global player in high-performance aerospace manufacturing.
With global tensions, supply chain vulnerabilities, and rising demand for indigenous defence technologies, LAT Aerospace’s mission feels timely — and possibly transformative.
Contact:
Aspiring engineers and researchers interested in joining the mission can reach out at engines@lat.com.
