The jet engine has been refined for seventy years, but the idea underneath it has barely moved. Engines are still heavy, thirsty and built for an era of crewed aircraft.

Prithwish knows that world from the inside. A PhD in aerospace engineering from NC State, he has been part of propulsion programmes with NASA, the US Army and national labs, where he conducted research into hypersonic flight and sustainable fuels. When he came back to India, he ran battery and thermal systems at Euler Motors, and then started Green Aero to rethink the engine itself.

His turbines run on supercritical carbon dioxide, CO₂ squeezed into a state that is neither quite gas nor liquid. They are about 50% more efficient than conventional turbines in a fraction of the size. The team has hot-fired them more than 700 times, demonstrated the world's first airblast atomiser for engines this small, and signed L&T Defence to license the technology and supply engines for military drones. A transonic drone airframe is built and waiting for its first flight. Realising India’s jet propulsion ambition feels closer than ever before.

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FOUNDER

Prithwish Kundu, Co-founder & CEO

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