Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Hyderabad Startup’s Drone Interceptor Sets 498-kmph Speed Record
A Hyderabad company has built a very fast drone called Ahuti Mk II.
Its job is to chase and stop other dangerous drones.
The aircraft can fly at 498 kilometers per hour.
The India Book of Records recognized this speed for a multirotor drone.
The company rebuilt an older drone instead of simply making small changes to it.
The older version reached about 300 kilometers per hour in 2025.
Apollyon says fast, affordable interceptors could help defend against inexpensive hostile drones.
The company says its systems are already being used by Indian Army units and that it has larger plans for the future.
Apollyon Dynamics’ electric Ahuti Mk II multirotor reached a certified speed of 498 kmph.
The India Book of Records recognized the aircraft for the highest speed achieved by a multirotor UAV.
The interceptor was designed to pursue hostile drones and loitering munitions, not for surveillance or carrying payloads.
The aircraft evolved from the original Ahuti, which reached about 300 kmph in 2025.
Apollyon says it has fielded unmanned systems with Indian Army units and plans a Power Cruise Missile platform by 2030.
- Who
- Hyderabad-based defence startup Apollyon Dynamics, with development involving Aman Virani, Manas Vichare and Ishaan Suri.
- What
- The company’s electric Ahuti Mk II drone interceptor reached a certified speed of 498 kmph and received India Book of Records recognition.
- When
- The record was reported after the original Ahuti reached approximately 300 kmph in 2025; the newer aircraft was developed in less than a year.
- Where
- The startup is based in Hyderabad and incubated at the BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus.
- Why
- The interceptor was developed to quickly pursue hostile drones and loitering munitions while offering a potentially more cost-efficient response to low-cost aerial threats.
Company’s Position
Qualification of the Claim
Scope of the speed record
Company’s Position
Apollyon Dynamics says Ahuti Mk II’s certified 498-kmph speed represents the fastest multirotor UAV and that no other multirotor in South Asia has matched or exceeded it based on available public data.
Qualification of the Claim
The South Asia comparison is the company’s assessment, and the article does not establish it as an independently verified global record.
Defence value
Company’s Position
Apollyon argues that speed, autonomy and cost efficiency can help counter inexpensive drones and loitering munitions without relying only on more expensive systems.
Qualification of the Claim
The article reports the company’s stated approach but provides no independent evaluation of the interceptor’s operational effectiveness or cost advantages.
- Aircraft
- Ahuti Mk II, an electric multirotor drone interceptor
- Certified speed
- 498 kmph
- Recognition
- India Book of Records recognition for maximum speed achieved by a multirotor UAV
- Earlier model speed
- The original Ahuti reached approximately 300 kmph in 2025
- Primary mission
- Intercepting hostile drones and loitering munitions
- Development team
- Aman Virani, Manas Vichare and Ishaan Suri
- Future roadmap
- Apollyon says it plans to develop a Power Cruise Missile platform by 2030