Apollyon Dynamics | From BITS Hostel To Army Frontlines: Students Build Kamikaze, Surveillance Drones

What began in a humble hostel room at BITS Pilani is now taking flight on India’s defence frontlines. Apollyon Dynamics, founded by two third-year students — Jayant Khatri (Mechanical Engineering, Ajmer) and Sourya Choudhury (Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Kolkata) is building indigenous kamikaze and surveillance drones tailored for tactical military use. Born out of frustration with India’s dependence on imported UAVs, their innovation has earned them Army orders after a successful live demo. With backing from BITS Pilani’s PIEDS (Pilani Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Society) incubator and mentorship from Prof. Sanket Goel, this student-led startup is now a serious player in defence tech — proving that national power can be engineered on campus. Aditya Birla Group Chairman and BITS Pilani Chancellor Kumar Mangalam Birla met the student founders, offering words of encouragement and signaling strong institutional backing for Apollyon Dynamics' defence-tech journey.