'It’s personal...': Startup co-founder vows 'no setbacks' will delay jet engine rollout as Pakistani missiles hit ancestral village

The threat hit home — quite literally — for Prateek Dhawan, Co-founder of DG Propulsion, when missiles and drones rained down on his maternal grandfather’s village. The attack, claimed to be from across the border, shifted something in him. “Now, it’s not just purpose. It’s personal,” he declared, vowing that serial production of his company’s jet engines will begin this year — regardless of setbacks.

In a strongly worded post on X (formally Twitter), Dhawan recounted the night of the strike: “Last night, missiles and drones were intercepted — Dropped in my maternal grandfather’s village — not near it, in it. The place where I’ve spent countless days growing up. We’ve always known what a rogue nation is capable of. Now, it’s hit home — literally.”

Doubling down on his resolve, Dhawan said, “At DG Propulsion, we’re no longer waiting. Serial production of our engines starts this year — no matter what. Funding, timelines, setbacks — none of it matters anymore.”

His post caught the attention of netizens, who wished him speed and good luck in his resolve. 

DG Propulsion is among a new breed of startups pushing to rewrite India’s aerospace story. With an emphasis on innovation and self-reliance, the company is aligned with national initiatives like “Make-in-India” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” aimed at reducing dependence on imported defense technology.

Historically, India’s jet engine development has been plagued by manufacturing bottlenecks and limited domestic capabilities. As a result, collaborations with foreign partners have often been the only viable route for accessing critical components and know-how.

Dhawan’s journey into aerospace began as a college project, building micro gas turbines alongside classmates. What started as experiments in distributed power generation has since evolved into an ambitious propulsion venture.

After studying and gaining industry experience in the U.S., Dhawan returned to India and, with former Indian Navy personnel Chirag Gupta, founded DG Propulsion in 2019. The startup has since been tackling the deep-rooted challenges of indigenous engine manufacturing.

Most recently, DG Propulsion achieved a crucial technical breakthrough — its engine surpassed the 1-hour endurance milestone in tests, proving its potential to power UAVs across extended missions.