New Delhi: India is likely to get an indigenous heavy lift drone for use by the defence forces as well as logistics companies soon.
The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, has signed an agreement with Mumbai-based ideaForge Technology Limited for Rs 151 crore in financial support to develop YETI, a heavy-lift autonomous aerial logistics vehicle designed to transport payloads of up to 200 kilograms over a targeted distance of 200 kilometres.
The total cost of the project is Rs 302 crore. It will receive support through debt financing under the government’s Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.
The project aims to advance the indigenous platform from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-4 to TRL-9, the stage associated with demonstration in the intended operational environment and readiness for deployment, subject to applicable requirements, as reported by Hindustan Times.
“The development of advanced autonomous systems is opening new possibilities for addressing complex operational and logistical challenges. Indigenous heavy-lift aerial platforms can play an important role in improving access to remote and difficult-to-reach locations,” TDB secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said.
The RDI Fund was supporting technology-intensive projects that require sustained investment to progress from advanced development to deployment, he said.
“The agreement with ideaForge reflected the government’s commitment to strengthening India’s capabilities in autonomous systems, robotics and next-generation aerospace technologies,” he said.
YETI is being developed as a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle combining vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability with a fixed-wing configuration for long-range flight.
It is intended to address logistical challenges in remote and difficult-to-access locations, particularly where road connectivity is poor or conventional transportation is constrained by terrain and weather.
The vehicle will have an operating altitude of up to 6,500 metres above mean sea level, according to the project specifications. Its weather-resistant design is intended to support operations in demanding environments, including high-altitude regions, deserts and marine areas.
Its ability to operate from relatively small, unprepared landing sites measuring approximately 15 metres by 15 metres will be a key feature of the platform.
The proposed system will also incorporate distributed and redundant propulsion and power architecture, navigation capabilities in environments where global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are unavailable, and communication links extending up to 200 kilometres.
YETI is also being designed for swarm operations and containerised transport, enabling rapid movement and deployment across geographically challenging locations.
The RDI-supported programme will fund further technology development, engineering, integration, testing and validation as ideaForge works towards the targeted readiness level. The project falls under the deep technology sector, with intelligent systems and robotics identified as its sub-sector.
IdeaForge’s chief executive and co-founder, Ankit Mehta, said YETI was designed to help armed forces and logistics networks deliver supplies where roads end, and weather conditions complicate transportation. The company described the government’s support as recognition of the growing role of Indian deep-technology companies in building strategic national capabilities.