To find out why Shivayu Aerospace & Defence Pvt Ltd is one of The Most Trusted Aerospace & Defense Companies to Watch Out in 2024, we interviewed Gp Capt ER Rajappan (Retd), the Managing Director.

Gp Capt ER Rajappan (Retd) is an Aerospace, Aviation and Defence expert. He was also on the Centre for Air Power Studies faculty in New Delhi, India’s only think tank developing new tactics and strategies for air and space warfare. His deep knowledge of aerial and aerospace warfare enables him to design cost-effective state-of-the-art defence equipment and their sub-systems. Shivayu Aerospace has already produced many parts for satellites, radar, battle tanks, naval ships, etc. The company wants to expand its product base for all three services in the coming years.

Shivayu Aerospace is just one and a half years old. The company’s main product is Pawl Assembly for a major aircraft OEM in the USA. It also manufactures high-precision parts for satellite communication, defence, and food equipment. Shivayu is known for its quality and on-time delivery. GP Capt ER Rajappan is often invited to deliver talks on “Aerospace & Defence as well as Aviation” at national and international seminars for innovative products and solutions.

The highlights of that discussion with Gp Capt ER Rajappan are given herein.

Please brief our audience about Shivayu Aerospace, its USPs, and your position as one of the most trusted Aerospace and Defense solution providers.

Shivayu is the second aerospace and defence start-up I established in pursuit of India’s efforts to design and manufacture aerospace and defence equipment and parts under Make in India and to enhance the country’s capacity to make parts for aircraft, satellites, radar, missiles, airborne and early warning control systems, battle tanks, naval ship doors, etc. We are a team of highly acclaimed and experienced aviation, aerospace, and defence experts with more than three decades of experience in the Indian Air Force, United Nations, and Centre for Air Power Studies.

My stint in the Centre for Air Power Studies exposed me to the state-of-the-art aerospace and defence equipment being used by the Armed Forces of the developed nations and how innovative tactics enabled some developing countries like India to pit against some of the highly developed nations like the USA, with 4 and 4.5 generation military hardware. I have painstakingly carried out a gap analysis and realised that India has the capability and the wherewithal to design and manufacture cutting-edge weapons and delivery platforms for the Indian Armed Forces by integrating the infrastructure of the Indian defence industries – both public and private as well as the academia.

Much of the equipment of the Indian Armed Forces is foreign-made and old; therefore, getting the spare parts for keeping this equipment in operational condition has become very difficult as the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have started manufacturing advanced versions of these types of equipment. Therefore, the vintage equipment of the Armed Forces must be kept operational through indigenization. We see this as a great opportunity for the design and manufacturing of parts of legacy equipment of the Indian Armed Forces. Shivayu Aerospace, in collaboration with its cluster partners, can design and manufacture many types of high-precision mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic assemblies for the vintage fleet of the Army, Navy and Air Force and thereby enhance the operational preparedness of the services.

In the past, we have significantly contributed to the indigenization of parts of satellites, battle tanks, radars, naval ships, etc. In the coming years, we plan to design and manufacture battery-powered advanced air mobility platforms—both rotary and fixed-wing—and complex mechanical assemblies of aircraft and defence equipment.

Being an experienced leader, share your opinion on how adopting modern technologies like AI&ML impacts today’s defence sector and how your company adapts to the change.

In the future, the outcome of the wars will be based more on Beyond Visual Range (BVR) weapons and AI-embedded weapon delivery platforms. Tomorrow’s military hardware will do what comes naturally to humans through the application of Machine Learning.

In the 20th century, wars were mostly decided by “the man behind the machine,” but in the 21st century’s swift and localized warfare, AI&ML-based weapons will hold sway.

The Armed Forces of developed countries have developed and operationalised AI&ML-based weapons and delivery platforms. Besides autonomous aircraft, helicopters, and tanks, humanoid soldiers will dot the future battlefield. Therefore, the Indian Armed Forces must adopt AI&ML-based weapons and weapon delivery platforms to fight future wars. The war strategies and tactics must be revamped to be relevant and effective on the battlefield.

Shivayu Aerospace is fully aware of the emerging trends in designing and manufacturing future military hardware and aerial platforms. Our design team is already developing autonomous drones for the Indian Armed Forces and battery-powered short-haul air mobility platforms for intra-city and intercity travel.

Considering the current industry scenario, what challenges do you face, and how do you drive your company to overcome them?

As a fallout of the pandemic, there has been stagnation in the aerospace sector in India and worldwide. In contrast, the defence sector is booming because of the shift in the policy of GOI – to design and manufacture all military hardware indigenously. Designing and manufacturing state-of-the-art defence equipment and parts is daunting due to the non-availability of technology and funding. Design and development of niche technology defence equipment and weapons is highly capital intensive and has a long gestation period to make the business break even. Hence, we are partnering with other aerospace and defence companies to develop aerospace and defence equipment in pursuit of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

What would you advise budding professionals aspiring to venture into the aerospace and defence solutions sector?

Indian Aerospace and Defence sectors are poised for rapid growth in the coming years.

Engineers with deep knowledge of Industry 4.0 and AI&ML have an edge over others in seizing business opportunities in the aerospace and defence industry. Anyone interested in becoming an entrepreneur to manufacture aerospace and defence equipment or parts must learn about the new manufacturing process, the latest software, global quality standards and the market in India and abroad. Various financial incentive schemes by the government of India could be availed of by aerospace and defence entrepreneurs for part funding. Working as an internee in well-established aerospace and defence companies, both public and private, for at least three months would enable them to understand the nuances of running aerospace and defence companies. In addition, they should take the services of business consultants to plan a sustainable and scalable business model.

How do you envision scaling Shivayu’s operations and offerings in the future?

Presently, Shivayu Aerospace’s revenue comes from contract manufacturing of aerospace and defence components. In the coming years, we will focus on the design and manufacturing of aerospace and defence equipment and parts, for which the design and manufacturing infrastructure is being enhanced through organic growth and debt funding. Our company’s future offerings are battery-powered short-haul air mobility platforms, both rotary and fixed-wing.

For more information, please visit http://www.shivayuaerospace.com/, call 080 – 42179270, +91953880414/+ 917483076819, or visit the HQ at Building No. C-2/B KSSIDC Industrial Area, Yelahanka, Bangalore, 560064 Karnataka, India.

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