Design and technology services firm Tata Elxsi on Tuesday said it has signed an initial pact with startup Sarla Aviation to collaborate on the development of the Bengaluru-based firm's air taxi platform Shunya.

Under the collaboration, Tata Elxsi will provide engineering support across avionics, including flight control systems, software integration, testing, verification and validation, and certification.

On the other hand, Sarla Aviation will lead the design, development and type certification of the Shunya platform, the company said.

The engagement also creates opportunities to extend support across sensor fusion-based navigation software, industrial and structural design, and airworthiness test support, it added.

"Every major shift in transportation has been enabled by a combination of engineering innovation and ecosystem readiness. Advanced air mobility is no different, and Sarla Aviation's vision for Shunya reflects the ambition driving this transformation.

"Initiatives like this create opportunities to apply expertise built across aerospace, mobility and digital technologies to entirely new aviation platforms," said Manoj Raghavan, CEO and Managing Director at Tata Elxsi.

Besides Shunya, the collaboration is expected to help strengthen capabilities relevant to logistics, air ambulance services and defence-related applications, the company said.

Designed for over 300 km range of flight operations, the seven-seater (including one for pilot) electric air taxi Shunya combines vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability with fixed-wing cruise efficiency, enabling runway-independent operations and improved propulsion efficiency.