Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Bombay

What Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Bombay does

The Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Bombay, established in 1966, is one of the institute's oldest academic units and operates as a mid-sized department within IIT Bombay — a public technical university established under the Institutes of Technology Act and funded by the Government of India. The department delivers education across the full academic stack (B.Tech, M.Tech, M.Sc, and PhD) and organizes its research portfolio around four core technical areas: aerodynamics, dynamics and control, propulsion, and structures. Its primary "customers" are students admitted through JEE Advanced (UG), GATE (PG), and direct application/International Admissions Portal (PhD), with a smaller secondary cohort taking aerospace minor courses from other IIT Bombay departments.

The department operates specialized research infrastructure that materially shapes its technical differentiation, including the ACE (Aerospace Computational Engine) high-performance computing facility, an in-house 3D Printing Facility using FlashPrint for G-code generation, and a Propulsion Lab Workshop. Active research thrusts include unmanned air systems (mini and micro UAVs), bio-fuels, advanced combustion, noise reduction, autonomous flight, reduced-order modeling, HPC, rotary-wing aerodynamics, and multidisciplinary design optimization. Documented IP includes a granted patent (IDF 1532) on a wax-based disposable mandrel method for solid propellant grain design (P.A. Ramakrishna, Nikunj Rathi, Nagendra Kumar) and a pending application (202211039323) for a morphing aerodynamic wing section by the Guruprasad PJ group. Faculty recognition is concentrated — Prof. Sudarshan Kumar holds INAE Young Engineer Award, INAE Fellowship, and Combustion Institute (USA) Fellowship status; Prof. N.K. Naik is an INAE and NASI Fellow.

The department operates a non-commercial revenue model with three streams: (1) institutional government funding through IIT Bombay's central budget, (2) student tuition and fees for UG/PG/PhD programs, and (3) externally sponsored research grants from agencies such as DRDO, ISRO, and DST, plus industry-sponsored projects. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set institutionally. Distribution and program delivery are entirely on-campus at IIT Bombay's Powai, Mumbai location, with international PhD admissions processed online. As a non-listed government academic unit, no revenue figures, financial disclosures, or commercial KPIs are published.

Name

Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Bombay

Legal name

Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Bombay

Website

https://aero.iitb.ac.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Bombay, established in 1966, is an academic department offering B.Tech, M.Tech, and PhD programs in aerospace engineering with research spanning aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and dynamics and control, supported by HPC, 3D printing, and drone-research infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / Aerospace Engineering Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Military Aerospace Engines & Propulsion (IMABAMAD), Military Aircraft Structures, Airframes & Composites (IMABAMAH)

Keywords

• Aerospace engineering education
• Drone research programs
• Propulsion and combustion research
• Computational aerodynamics
• Flight dynamics research

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary funding from the Government of India through IIT Bombay's institutional budget for education and research operations.
2. Student Tuition and Fees: Revenue from student tuition fees for various programs including undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral studies.
3. Research Grants and Sponsored Projects: External funding from government agencies (DRDO, ISRO, DST) and industry for specific research projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Bombay delivers undergraduate (B.Tech), postgraduate (M.Tech, M.Sc.), and doctoral (PhD) education in aerospace engineering, covering aerodynamics, dynamics and control, propulsion, and structures. It conducts funded research in emerging areas including UAVs/drones, autonomous flight, bio-fuels, advanced combustion, noise reduction, and multidisciplinary design optimization, and operates specialized research infrastructure such as the ACE High-Performance Computing facility, 3D Printing Facility, and Propulsion Lab Workshop.

Product overview

The Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Bombay, established in 1966, offers comprehensive academic programs at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. The department operates specialized research infrastructure including a 3D Printing Facility for faculty and students, the ACE (Aerospace Computational Engine) High Performance Computing facility for computational research, a Propulsion Lab Workshop, and administrative services such as a Room Booking Portal and Own Cloud storage. The department focuses on research areas including aerodynamics, dynamics and control, propulsion, and structures, with active work in bio-fuels, advanced combustion, autonomous flight, and unmanned air systems including mini and micro vehicles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Program (B.Tech Aerospace Engineering)
• Postgraduate Program (M.Tech and M.Sc.)
• PhD Program in Aerospace Engineering
• ACE - Aerospace Computational Engine (HPC Facility)
• 3D Printing Facility 3D printing service available exclusively for Aerospace Department faculty and students for research and academic purposes. Uses FlashPrint application for G-code generation.
• Propulsion Lab Workshop Laboratory facility for propulsion research with work order form system for faculty and students to request and track laboratory work.
• Room Booking Portal Internal web-based portal for scheduling and booking rooms and facilities within the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
• Own Cloud Storage Cloud storage service for faculty and students to store and share academic documents and research data, hosted on varuna.aero.iitb.ac.in.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics: Top global aerospace engineering department offering comparable UG, PG, and PhD programs across aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and control; benchmark for research output and industry partnerships.
• Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronautics: Historic US aerospace school with strong propulsion and structures research, comparable program structure, and extensive industry partnerships including major defense primes.
• Caltech Aerospace (GALCIT): Caltech's aerospace group with globally leading research in aerodynamics, propulsion, and space engineering; comparable in advanced research depth and doctoral output.
• Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras: Indian Institute peer offering UG, PG, and PhD programs in aerospace engineering with overlapping research areas in aerodynamics, propulsion, and structures. Most direct domestic comparable in scale and prestige.
• University of Michigan Department of Aerospace Engineering: Top-ranked US aerospace department with comprehensive UG/PG/PhD programs across the same four pillars (aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, dynamics & control); a direct global academic comparable.
• Georgia Tech School of Aerospace Engineering: Large US aerospace school with broad research portfolio covering aerodynamics, propulsion, and structures, and significant defense/aerospace industry collaboration — comparable in research breadth.
• Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Kharagpur: IIT-system aerospace department with overlapping UG/PG curriculum and research areas, providing a closely comparable peer in talent recruitment and sponsored research.
• Department of Aerospace Engineering, IISc Bangalore: India's premier research university aerospace department with strong postgraduate and doctoral focus, comparable research portfolio in aerodynamics and propulsion, and similar government-grant funding model.
• Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Kanpur: Founding IIT aerospace department with similar UG/PG/PhD structure and research thrusts in aerodynamics, propulsion, and structures; competes directly for the same national-level talent pool.
• Stanford Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics: Premier US aerospace department with parallel research areas in autonomous flight, propulsion, and multidisciplinary design, plus strong ties to Silicon Valley aerospace startups.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/embed/zKh6osv-1ZU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-aerospace-engineering-iit-bombay

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Bombay