Mohali, India – Nalwa Aero Private Limited, an aerospace startup based in Mohali, has been honored with the Best Paper Award at the 39th National Convention of Aerospace Engineering (NCAE 2026). The prestigious award, presented by The Institution of Engineers (India) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, recognizes the company's groundbreaking research into an innovative Box-Wing aircraft configuration designed to enhance the aerodynamic efficiency of future electric aircraft.
The company's award-winning research paper, titled A Prandtl-Plane Box-Wing Configuration for Advanced Air Mobility, delves into the potential of this unconventional aircraft design for applications in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Understanding Box-Wing Technology
The Box-Wing configuration is characterized by connecting the forward and rear wings at their tips, creating a closed, interconnected lifting system around the aircraft. This design concept draws inspiration from the fundamental aerodynamic principles established by Ludwig Prandtl, whose pioneering work laid the groundwork for modern aviation aerodynamics.
Nalwa Aero is actively exploring this technology in conjunction with advanced electric propulsion and tilting-rotor systems. The goal is to develop aircraft that are substantially more aerodynamically efficient than conventional designs. Preliminary internal studies conducted by the company suggest that the Box-Wing configuration could improve certain aerodynamic efficiency parameters by up to 40% when compared to selected traditional aircraft designs. However, the company emphasizes that these findings are preliminary and require further experimental validation.
Advancements in Flight Testing
This national recognition follows Nalwa Aero's recent announcement regarding the preliminary flight testing of its scaled Box-Wing eVTOL prototype. During these tests, the aircraft successfully demonstrated low-altitude hovering and forward flight capabilities, powered by electric propulsion and utilizing tilting rotors. These initial flight trials represent a crucial step forward, transitioning the project from theoretical aerodynamic modeling and engineering design to practical, experimental validation of the innovative aircraft configuration.
Kuljeet Singh Sandhu, Founder and CEO of Nalwa Aero, commented on the achievement:
"For us, this award is much more than a certificate of achievement. It is recognition of our conviction that fundamental scientific research can inspire transformative aerospace technologies."
The development underscores Nalwa Aero's commitment to advancing indigenous research in the field of electric aviation, particularly in the realm of emerging aircraft technologies tailored for advanced air mobility solutions.