Deepinder Goyal, co-founder of LAT Aerospace and founder of Zomato, has announced an open call for engineers to join a newly formed propulsion research team at LAT Aerospace in Bengaluru. The initiative aims to design and develop indigenous gas turbine engines from the ground up—an ambitious move towards boosting India’s capabilities in aerospace engineering.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Goyal emphasized the startup’s mission to build lightweight, efficient, and flight-ready gas turbine engines entirely in India, adding that the team will operate with full technical autonomy.
“Also, this team will be led by engineers. No waiting around for approvals from ‘business’ people. No chasing slides or meetings,” he wrote, underlining a developer-first culture where engineering talent drives core innovation.
Goyal launched LAT Aerospace along with Surobhi Das, former Chief Operating Officer at Zomato, with the broader vision of building low-cost, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft with seating for up to 24 passengers, specifically targeting regional air connectivity across underserved routes in India.
Importantly, Goyal clarified in his post that LAT Aerospace is not affiliated with Eternal, another initiative he is known to be involved with. His focus in LAT Aerospace is as a non-executive co-founder, while operational responsibilities lie with Das. Goyal has personally invested $20 million into the venture, reinforcing his commitment to advancing homegrown aerospace technologies.
The upcoming propulsion research center will house dedicated laboratories focused on key technical areas including combustion, turbomachinery, thermal systems, and materials science. This infrastructure is designed to enable hands-on development, iterative testing, and close collaboration with component suppliers and industry partners.
The company is actively seeking professionals with backgrounds in turbines, rotors, control systems, and other related domains. By building this engine research unit in-house, LAT Aerospace is positioning itself to take on one of the most complex and high-barrier challenges in aviation: developing a domestically designed and manufactured propulsion system for regional aircraft.
Goyal’s latest move signals a shift from consumer internet to deep-tech manufacturing, and underlines a growing trend of Indian startups engaging in high-impact, IP-driven innovation to meet domestic needs and reduce reliance on foreign technology.
