Inc42 reported that DheyaTech (Dheya Engineering Technologies), a Bengaluru-based aircraft engine developer, raised ₹43 crore (430 million rupees, about 700 million yen; based on a September 2026 exchange rate of ₹1 ≈ ¥1.66) on September 17, 2026, in a round led by Avaana Capital. The funds will go toward three uses: mass-producing domestically made small gas turbine engines, building an integrated engine test facility, and expanding mass-production partnerships with OEMs in India and abroad. For Japanese manufacturers working in heat-resistant materials and precision machining for aviation and defense, this is a move that could offer an entry point into India's deep-tech supply chain.
This round of ₹43 crore was led by Avaana Capital, with aerospace parts maker Unimech Aerospace also participating. DheyaTech develops small gas turbine engines in-house, in the 20 to 400 kgf thrust range, and was founded by three co-founders: Gurushankara KC, Abhinav Alva, and Chetan Kumar. The company is positioned as the first private case in India pursuing independent airworthiness certification under the guidance of CEMILAD, the military airworthiness certification body. It has set a target of flight testing in Q4 2026.
Small gas turbines serve as the heart of drones, target drones, and auxiliary power units. India is pursuing domestic production of defense equipment as national policy, and interest is growing in companies that can design and mass-produce, at home, propulsion systems that have until now relied on imports. DheyaTech has also partnered with IISc Bengaluru to develop a hydrogen-capable flexi-fuel combustor for 60 kW-class turbo-generators. The company's profile is shaped not just by the engine itself, but by building in fuel flexibility as well.
The use of funds reported by Inc42 is specific. First, building mass-production capacity for gas turbine engines that have so far been mostly prototypes. Second, building a new integrated engine test facility that can be run entirely in-house. Third, expanding commercial deployment together with OEMs in India and abroad — the company reportedly already has orders from OEMs both in India and overseas (the customers and contract values were not disclosed). Bringing test facilities in-house means the company can run its development cycle without relying on outside evaluation, making the ramp-up to mass production easier to plan.
As far as Inc42's report goes, independent airworthiness certification under the guidance of CEMILAC is treated as the company's differentiator. Beyond the engine itself, the joint development of the hydrogen flexi-fuel combustor with IISc and the track record of orders from existing OEMs were cited as evidence supporting the move into the mass-production phase. The plan to conduct flight testing in Q4 2026 was also reported as consistent with the intended use of funds.
A gas turbine is a bundle of component parts — heat-resistant alloys for turbine blades, precision casting, coatings, bearings — and this is an area where Japanese suppliers have depth. India's deep-tech companies, racing to localize production, are at the stage of searching for suppliers of equipment, materials, and processing. Following the lead set by rockets, India's first space unicorn, Skyroot, as in that example, propulsion-system startups can readily find points of contact with Japanese precision machining. In semiconductor back-end processes, the reverse flow of an Indian company winning orders to assemble Japanese automotive chips shows that trade in parts and equipment is starting to move in both directions. Locking in relationships even before companies are founded, Japanese VCs' push into Indian universities is also one way to build an early connection with these kinds of deep-tech startups.
The fact that funding is starting to flow into heavy technology like propulsion engines shows that India's procurement network is expanding beyond consumer goods and software. India's Q1 2026 procurement trends also show that funding is spreading broadly rather than concentrating in a specific sector. For Japanese manufacturers entering through equipment and materials, proposing supply arrangements timed to the ramp-up of mass production is becoming a realistic option.
DheyaTech has clearly laid out the use of funds as mass production, test facilities, and OEM partnerships. For companies exploring room to partner on heat-resistant materials or precision machining, the next step is to ask the company directly about the schedule for its new integrated test facility and what categories of parts it will need. As the company heads toward flight testing in the second half of 2026, making contact before its procurement plans for equipment and materials solidify is a decision that will pay off.
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