YPS Meet | December 15, Sat | 6:30 PM | State Youth Centre

About Mr. Debadatta Maharana

Mr. Rana is a graduate in Aeronautical engineering from Aeronautical Society of India and has done his masters in Software Systems Engineering from BITS, Pilani.

After a year of apprentice training in HAL, Bangalore, and two years of Contract employment at HAL Flight Test Centre, in 1996 he joined ADA, the lab of DRDO responsible for design,  development and flight testing of Light Combat Aircraft. Since then, it has been a journey of mixed emotions and will continue until 2028. Currently, he is heading the Telemetry and Instrumentation Division in Aeronautical Development Agency, an autonomous body of DRDO.  This organisation is responsible for design, development and testing of India’s Light Combat Aircraft (

In the year 2008, when he travelled to Leh with LCA, he picked up a DSLR for the first time but had no clue about photographing aircrafts. The journey continued and since then, he has travelled to many Air force stations across India and in 2016 to a solo International Airshow in Bahrain.  During this journey, he made friends of all ages, starting from a young Flight Lieutenant fresh out of flying academy to Air Commodores.

He says, “Basically, I am an aeronautical Engineer and love for planes is built into all my veins.   Photographing the planes just happened, when I was casually asked by my seniors to pick up some images of LCA while travelling to Leh for winter testing.  It’s been a pleasant journey since then and Aviation photography is continuing as a hobby.”

Thanks to his growing love to capture aircrafts, this presentation will take us through some interesting incidents.

-YPS Executive Commiitee