Aerospace Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

About

About Us

Established in 1964, Aerospace Engineering department is a premier teaching and research centre today. The department is engaged in engineering science instruction, in-flight laboratory work, aerodynamic testing, and indigenous design and fabrication of advanced facilities and instruments. The department specializes in aerodynamics, flight mechanics, propulsion, and aerospace structures. It has a unique flight laboratory with four powered aircrafts, four gliders and a 1000 m runway. All other academic institutions in the country make use of this facility. The Gliding and Soaring centre attached to the department has significantly contributed to the aviation awareness amongst the young through its glider pilot training program.

The department has completed and is currently involved in a large number of sponsored and consultancy projects for the agencies like AR&DB, ARMREB, ADA, ADE, ADRDE, ASTE, AICTE, DST, DRDL, GTRE, VSSC, ISRO, CSIR, HAL, MHRD, ARDE, HEMRL, CEMILAC and Indian Railways. The expert faculty has designed and developed high-speed and low-speed wind tunnels, measurement methods using hot wire and laser Doppler anemometry, industrial and wind energy aerodynamics, subsonic and transonic flow computations, hypersonic flow computations for re-entry vehicles, and the design and optimization of the fiber-reinforced composite structures for static, dynamic and random loadings.

Over the years the department has also developed excellent collaborative relationship leading to work on several advanced projects of national importance with a large number of aeronautical establishments including NAL, ASTE, GTRE, HAL, DRDL, ADE, ARDE, ADA and ISRO.

History


The Aerospace Engineering department at IIT Kanpur, was established in 1964, The Department came as a decision taken by (late Prof.) Dhawan Committee which predicted the need of large number of Aeronautical Engineers to meet the national needs. IIT Kanpur was conceptualized as an Indo/American collaboration. Aeronautical Engineering was also introduced in the same context.

Some of the professors who played a major role in building this Department in its early days:

  • Prof. Holt Ashley
  • Prof. Hazen
  • Prof. Vrebalovich
  • Prof. C.S. Murthy
  • Prof. S.M. Ramachandra
  • Prof. P.N. Murthy

Following faculty members have also served as Head of Department (HOD) in the past:

  • Prof. A. Kushari: 2020-2023
  • Prof. A.K. Ghosh: 2017 - 2020
  • Prof. S. Mittal:  2014–2017
  • Prof. C. Venkatesan: 2011-2014
  • Prof. S. Kamle: 2008–2011
  • Prof. D. Yadav, Acting Head: 2007-2008
  • Prof. R.K. Sullerey: 2005–2007
  • Prof. Kunal Ghosh: 2002–2004
  • Prof. Vijay Gupta: Jan-March, 2002
  • Prof. N. G. R. Iyenger: 1996-2001
  • Prof. Krishna Kumar: 1992-1995
  • Prof. A. K. Gupta: 1989-1992
  • Prof. N. L. Arora: 1986-1989
  • Prof. C.S. Murthy: 1984-1986
  • Prof. N. G. R. Iyenger: 1983-1984
  • Prof. O. P. Sharma: 1980-1983
  • Prof. C.S. Murthy: 1977-1980
  • Prof. P.N. Murthy: 1974-1977
  • Prof. N. C. Nigam: 1973-1974
  • Prof. P.N. Murthy: 1970-1973
  • Prof. S.M. Ramachandra: 1966-1970
  • Prof. C.S. Murthy: 1965-1966
  • Prof. Holt Ashley: 1964-1965

Objectives

Here are the objectives of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Kanpur.

Our Mission
  • Provide the highest quality education in state-of-the-art aerospace engineering principles and practices at undergraduate and post graduate levels through classroom teaching and hands-on training.
  • Conduct cutting edge research to advance the state of knowledge in the broad disciplines of aerospace sciences and technologies.
  • Contribute towards the advancement of aerospace engineering practice and education through publications in the engineering and educational literature.
  • Contribute to the advancement of the aerospace technologies in India by working in close association with industry, government and other academic institutions.
Vision Statement

Achieve excellence in generation and dissemination of knowledge in the field of Aerospace Science and Engineering.

Focus

With a clear focus to offer science based engineering and technological education in aerospace engineering. Continuous evolution to upgrade the academic program in theoretical, analytical, computational and experimental aspects is made by active participation in training, and collaboration in R&D with national research laboratories and industry. Efforts are being made to evolve international collaboration with academic institutions, research agencies and industries abroad.

Welcome Message from HOD

The Aerospace Engineering Department is more than 40 years old. Till 1991, it was known as Aeronautical Engineering Department.

The name change was accompanied by addition of topics relating to spacecraft in the UG curriculum; some members of the faculty had been conducting research and guiding PG students in this area even before the formal alteration of the name in 1991. In matters of teaching, research & development, the department has always tried to strike a balance between hardware development and experiments on one hand, and theory and computational aspects on the other.
The faculty strength currently is 31. We share four faculty members with Sustaibale Energy Engineering Department, although their parent Department is Aerospace Engineering. The department has more than 200 UG Students (including those pursuing Dual Degree), 80 M.Tech students and 100 Ph.D students. The department has the following laboratories with a clear focus on teaching and research :


UG Laboratories
  • Low Speed Aerodynamics Laboratory 
  • High Speed Aerodynamics Laboratory
  • Flight Laboratory
  • Propulsion Laboratory
  • Structures Laboratory
  • Aero-modeling Laboratory
  • Design Laboratory
Research Laboratories & National facilities
  • Autonomous Helicopter Facility
  • Computational Flight Dynamics Lab
  • Unsteady Aerodynamics Lab
  • Flame and Combustion Dynamics Lab
  • Virtual Instrumentation Lab
  • Structures, Structural Analysis Lab
  • NWTF, ACECOST
  • Computational Propulsion Lab
  • Combustion Lab
  • Advanced Combustion and Acoustics Lab
  • Fluid dynamics Lab
  • Flight Lab
  • Structures and Material Characterization Lab
  • Unmanned and Micro-aerial Vehicle Lab

The faculty of the department were instrumental in establishing the National Tunnel Facility (NWTF), which now forms a separate section.

Various consultancy and sponsored research and development projects funded by agencies such as, Aeronautics R & D Board, Indian Space Research Organization, Aeronautical Development Agency, Department of Science & Technology, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Delhi Metro Railways Corporation, NAL, Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR),, TERI, PCRA, DRDO etc., have been undertaken by the department. The major contributions of the faculty are in the design and development of high speed and low speed wind tunnels, flow measurements using hotwire and laser Doppler anemometry, PIV, reacting flow, CFD, industrial and wind energy aerodynamics, CFD including subsonic, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic flow computations, supersonic/ hypersonic similitude, unsteady aerodynamic modeling and parametric estimation techniques; satellite dynamics; (analysis and development of software in the areas of thermal problems in rocket propulsion) and flow through turbo-machines, structural dynamics, random vibration analysis, design and optimization of fibre reinforced composite structures for static, dynamic and random loading; adaptive finite element analysis; smart structures; multi scale modeling; damage in composite structures; behavior of adhesive joints; helicopter dynamics, aeroelasticity; wind turbines; modeling of advanced materials; micro/mini air vehicles, autonomous helicopter and insect flight.

Prof. G. M. Kamath
Head
Aerospace Engineering
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Welcome Message

The Aerospace Engineering Department is more than 40 years old. Till 1991, it was known as Aeronautical Engineering Department. The name change was accompanied by addition of topics relating to spacecraft in the UG curriculum; some members of the faculty had been conducting research and guiding PG students in this area even before the formal alteration of the name in 1991. In matters of teaching, research & development, the department has always tried to strike a balance between hardware development and experiments on one hand... - Read More

Prof. G. M. Kamath

Head, Department of Aerospace Engineering