AeroTHON 2026

AeroTHON 2026 is the 6th edition of SAEINDIA’s flagship aerospace student competition, organized by the SAEINDIA Aerospace Forum, and is designed to inspire and empower the next generation of aerospace innovators. Building on the success of previous editions, AeroTHON 2026 challenges student teams to design, develop, and demonstrate advanced uncrewed and next-generation aerial systems that address real-world aerial surveillance and rapid delivery missions.

Participants will gain hands-on exposure to cutting-edge aerospace technologies, interact with industry experts, and compete in a rigorous, industry-oriented evaluation process that closely mirrors real aerospace programs.

Multirotor UAS - Design. Build. Fly

The Rotorcraft Systems Challenge focuses on the end-to-end development of multirotor Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) for aerial surveillance and rapid delivery missions. This track emphasizes practical engineering, system integration, and flight operations, providing participants with real-world exposure to UAS development cycles.

Student teams will design, build, and fly a multirotor UAS that meets defined mission requirements, culminating in a competitive fly-off.

Key Highlights
  • Hands-on design, build, and flight testing of multirotor UAS
  • Mission-oriented focus on surveillance and rapid payload delivery
  • Final fly-off event testing real mission performance
Objectives
  • To inculcate an innovation mindset in uncrewed rotorcraft systems
  • To nurture practical UAS design and integration skills
  • To provide a platform for students to demonstrate operational UAS capability
  • To prepare students for careers in the rapidly growing UAS ecosystem
Contest Structure

Phase 1: Design & Technical Evaluation (Mode: Hybrid : In-person/Virtual)

  • Submission and presentation of innovative UAS designs
  • Technical evaluation by industry and academic experts
  • Shortlisting of teams for Phase 2

Phase 2: Build, Fly & Final Evaluation (Mode: In-Person)

  • Prototype fabrication of the multirotor UAS
  • Tiger’s Cage (Business) presentation
  • UAS inspection against design submission in Phase 1
  • Flight testing and mission demonstration
  • Final evaluation and prize distribution
Support and Benefits for the participants from this event
  1. This event is organized by the SAEINDIA’s AeroForum that contains experienced professionals from leading Aerospace Organizations in the country.
  2. This event provides exceptional opportunity to interact with Aerospace professionals, Certification bodies, Policy enabling bodies and Incubation centers of the country, related to UAVs.
  3. A series of Technical Webinars and Professional Development Programs (PDPs) are conducted for the participants, emphasizing on UAVs Design, Build and Certification.
  4. Student versions of software tools will be made available to participants by Leading Technology companies associated with SAEINDIA and this event.
  5. 1:1 mentorship to finalists’ teams by industry professionals and experts.
  6. Regular interactions with Technical and Organizing committees for clarifying doubts, headed by experienced professionals/experts of the industry.
Registration Guidelines:
  1. Registration Fee: Rs. 20,000 + 18% GST per team for Rotorcraft Systems Challenge.
  2. Teams can be formed with a minimum of 5 students and a maximum of 10 students of multiple disciplines with one faculty advisor.
  3. It is mandatory for participating students to become student members of SAEINDIA. It is encouraged to take up the membership under +1 scheme as membership status continues for one more year after the completion of graduation.
  4. Though not mandatory, Faculty are encouraged to become a Faculty Member of SAEINDIA and avail the benefits available for the faculty member of SAEINDIA.
  5. Click here to sign up for SAEINDIA membership.
  6. Click here to download "Team Details form", save the filled form in PDF format and proceed for registration.
Awards & prizes
Prize Category Prize Value
1st Prize        Rs.175,000
2nd Prize        Rs.125,000
3rd Prize        Rs.100,000
4 Special Awards each of Rs.30,000
Hybrid VTOL UAS – Conceptual & System Design Challenge

The Next-Gen Air Mobility Challenge is a single-phase, design-focused competition centered exclusively on rapid urban delivery applications using next-generation air mobility and hybrid VTOL concepts. This track challenges student teams to design innovative aerial systems capable of efficient, safe, and scalable delivery operations in dense urban environments.

Participants will address key Urban Air Mobility (UAM) challenges such as vehicle configuration trade-offs, payload–range optimization, turnaround time, noise constraints, infrastructure compatibility, and operational feasibility for last-mile delivery missions. This is entirely a Virtual event and don’t require physical presence.

Objectives
  • To encourage innovation in rapid urban delivery systems
  • To develop strong fundamentals in air mobility system design
  • To expose students to UAM operational, regulatory, and infrastructure challenges
  • To foster entrepreneurial and solution-oriented thinking for urban logistics
 Contest Structure

Single Phase: Conceptual & System Design Evaluation (Mode: Virtual)

  • Development of a rapid urban delivery air mobility concept
  • Definition of system architecture and mission profile
  • Performance analysis and feasibility assessment
  • Preparation and Submission of Design Report & associated presentation.
  • Technical presentation (Virtual) evaluated by industry and academic experts
  • Final evaluation and Results announcement.
Key Highlights
  • Design-ONLY track (no prototype builds or flight testing)
  • Focused solely on urban last-mile delivery
  • Aligned with future logistics and air mobility ecosystems
  • Evaluation reflects early-stage aerospace product development
Support and Benefits for the participants from this event
  1. This event is organized by the SAEINDIA’s AeroForum that contains experienced professionals from leading Aerospace Organizations in the country.
  2. A series of Technical Webinars and Professional Development Programs (PDPs) are conducted for the participants, emphasizing on UAVs Design, Build and Certification.
  3. Periodic interactions with Technical and Organizing committees for clarifying doubts, headed by experienced professionals/experts of the industry.
Registration Guidelines
  1. Registration Fee: Rs. 5,000 + 18% GST per team for Next-Gen Air Mobility Challenge (Design ONLY challenge).
  2. Teams can be formed with a minimum of 5 students and a maximum of 10 students of multiple disciplines with one faculty advisor.
  3. It is mandatory for participating students to become student members of SAEINDIA. It is encouraged to take up the membership under +1 scheme as membership status continues for one more year after the completion of graduation.
  4. Though not mandatory, Faculty are encouraged to become a Faculty Member of SAEINDIA and avail the benefits available for the faculty member of SAEINDIA.
  5. Click here to sign up for SAEINDIA membership.
  6. Click here to download "Team Details form", save the filled form in PDF format and proceed for registration.
Awards & prizes
Prize Category Prize Value
1st Prize        Rs.35,000
2nd Prize        Rs.25,000
3rd Prize        Rs.15,000
Best Oral Presentation           Rs.7,500
Best Innovation           Rs.7,500

 

 

Key milestones Deadline
Registration opened for AeroTHON 2026 Feb 11, 2026 (Wed)
Registration Close Mar 31, 2026 (Tue) Apr 12, 2026 (Sun) (Hard Deadline)
Phase - 1: Design Report and Presentation submission by students May 24, 2026 (Sun)
Phase - 1: Review of Design reports by Jury May 24, 2026  (Sun) – Jun 12, 2026 (Fri)
Phase - 1: Students present designs to Jury Jun 13, 2026 (Sat)
Phase - 2: Physical Prototype build Jun 13, 2026 (Sat)  - Oct 29, 2026 (Thu)
Phase - 2: Flying Round [Inauguration, Inspection, Tiger’s cage and Fly round] Nov 13, 2026 (Fri)  Oct 30 (Fri), 2026
Phase - 2: Flying Round [Fly round, Valedictory and Awards ceremony] Nov 14, 2026 (Sat) Oct 31 (Sat), 2026

 

Key milestones  Deadline
Registration opened for AeroTHON 2026 Feb 11, 2026 (Wed)
Registration Close Mar 31, 2026 (Tue)  Apr 30, 2026 (Thu)  (Hard Deadline)
Design Report & Presentation submission by students Aug 16, 2026 (Sun)
Presentation & Evaluation by Jury Sep 26, 2026 (Sat) - Sep  27, 2026 (Sun)
Announcements of the Winners Oct 15, 2026 (Thu)

 

 

Advisory Committee

 

Mr. Javaji Munirathnam
(Javaji M Consulting)
Senior Vice President
Dr. Ravi Kumar G.V.V
(Infosys)
Chair, AeroForum
Mr. Ravishankar Mysore
(Pratt and Whitney)
Past President, AeroForum
Mr. Krupal A
(Boeing)
Co-Chair, AeroForum
Dr. Ganga Reddy
(AXISCADES)
Member, Aeroforum
Dr. Dinesh Manoharan
(Avironix Private Limited)
Member, Aeroforum
Mr. Vinay Roy
(Moog India)
Past Convener
Dr. R. Rajendran
(SRM Institute of Science & Technology)
Vice President, Engineering Education Board

 

Organizing Committee

 

Mr. Karthik Srinivasan
(Infosys)
Convener
Mr. Manoj Kumar
(HCL)
Co-Convener

 

Technical Committee

 

Mr. Prabhakaran Rengasamy
(Boeing)
Chair
Mr. Khushin Lakhara
(Mathworks)
Member
Mr. Sukhbir Kashyap
(Eaton)
Member
Mr. Sukumar Gadumoori
(TE Connectivity)
Co-Chair
Prof. G Dinesh Kumar
(HITS)
Member9
Prof. Devaprakash Muniraj
(Indian Institute Of Technology Madras)
Member
Prof. Dr. Jaganraj R
(VelTech)
Member
Mr. Lakshman Kumar
( DGCA)
Technical Committee
Mr.Kishan Kumar JJ
(Avironix)
Member
Mr. Varun Palahalli
(Pratt and Whitney)
Member
Mr. Sandeep Santhanagopal
(TE Connectivity)
Member

 

Industry and Academia Interface Committee

 

Mr. Zozimus Labana
(Hexagon)
Chair
Prof. Senthilkumar Sundararaj
(SRM Institute of Science & Technology)
Co-Chair
Mr.Anup Mehta
(ANSYS(part of Synopsys))
Member

 

Finance Committee

 

Mr. Muralidhara Dagadi
(HCL)
Chair
Mr. Shankar Ganesh
(Collins Aerospace)
Co-Chair
Ms.Chaya T
(Boeing)
Member

 

Event Management Committee

 

Mr. Shripathi V
(MSC Software, Cadence)
Chair
Mr. Gaurav Dubey
(MathWorks)
Co-Chair

 

Marketing & Communication Committee

 

Ms. Rashmi Kotary
(Boeing)
Chair
Ms. Shilpa
(Moog India)
Co-Chair
Ms. Chithra
(Boeing)
Member

 

Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee

 

Dr. Gnaneshwara N
(Moog India)
Chair
Dr. Rakesh Kumar
(Rossell Techsys Limited)
Co-Chair

Enquiry form

Contact for Sponsorship Opportunity and Team Registration

Ms. Shantha Priya | +91 73387 48891 | [email protected]

Mr. Suman | +91 98402 10293 | [email protected]

For any feedback/grievance related to AeroTHON 2026, send email to us at

aerothon@saeindia.org

Glimpses on AeroTHON

The AeroTHON organizing committee and SAEINDIA shall not be held responsible for non-fulfilment of their obligations due to the exigency of one or more of the force majeure events such as but not limited to the acts of God, war, flood, earthquake, strikes, lockouts, pandemics, epidemics, riots, civil commotion, scarcity, of water, electricity or such other basic facilities etc and shall inform the participating teams on the occurrence and cessation of the event within one week of such decision being made If the force majeure conditions continue beyond a reasonable period where running the event is not feasible either due to the force majeure conditions or any other reasons, the event may be cancelled for the year.

(a) Earthquake, flood, inundation and landslide, storm, tempest, hurricane, cyclone, lightning, thunder, pandemics, epidemics or other extreme atmospheric disturbances or any other act of God

(b) Strikes, labour disruptions or any other industrial disturbances not arising on account of the acts or omissions of the organisers, war, hostilities (whether declared or not), invasion, act of foreign enemy, terrorism, rebellion, riots, weapon conflict or military actions, civil war, ionising radiation, contamination by radioactivity from nuclear fuel, any nuclear waste, radioactive toxic explosion, volcanic eruptions or other such occurrences beyond the control of the organisers

(c) Acts of expropriation, compulsory acquisition or takeover by any government agency of the said venue where the event is to be held or any part thereof

(d) Any prohibitory order of any Court.