NewSpace Research: Feasibility Study for a Hybrid Drone Program
Researched and structured a feasibility case for an Indian Armed Forces drone program, shaping the CEO's decision to pursue the contract.
Divya Shah
Founder's Associate at PAVE Space SA
From their time as
Design Engineer II
NewSpace Research and Technologies • 2018 - 2021
Overview
Divya received a brief at NewSpace Research that was both open-ended and high-stakes: the Indian Armed Forces had issued a requirement for a hybrid multi-rotor drone, and the company needed to know whether to pursue it. At the time, NewSpace was primarily a fixed-wing aircraft company, so the brief was genuinely new territory.
The Story
Divya received a brief at NewSpace Research that was both open-ended and high-stakes: the Indian Armed Forces had issued a requirement for a hybrid multi-rotor drone, and the company needed to know whether to pursue it. At the time, NewSpace was primarily a fixed-wing aircraft company, so the brief was genuinely new territory.
He spent a month running global competitive research, mapping defense companies and commercially available components that could be used to build the required vehicle. The goal was to answer three questions for the CEO: Is this vehicle feasible? Who are the competitors and what are their specs? And what is a realistic timeline to deliver?
He structured her findings into a clear decision framework covering all three dimensions and presented them to the CEO. The recommendation was that the vehicle was feasible, but only if the company used commercially off-the-shelf components rather than building from scratch, given the timeline constraints.
The CEO accepted the findings. NewSpace submitted a paper proposal based on Divya's research, was selected to participate in the program, and won the Mehra Baba Prize competition in 2020.