IG Drones Secures Contract with Indian Army for VTOL and FPV Drones Made in India

Amid rising security concerns and evolving drone warfare tactics, IG Drones has solidified its position as a trusted technology partner for India’s defense forces by securing a significant contract with the Indian Army. The order includes the supply of IG Drones’ indigenously developed VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) and FPV (First-Person View) drones, designed to enhance the Army’s operational capabilities while addressing national security concerns surrounding the use of foreign components in critical defense systems.

The decision to prioritize domestically developed drone technology comes at a time when the Indian Army faces mounting security threats along international borders. Recent incidents, such as the hijacking of an Indian Army drone near the Pakistan border, have underscored the urgent need for reliable, indigenously manufactured platforms free from Chinese-origin components, which could compromise national security. As of August 2024, India had 398 drone startups, doubling in three years, surpassing China's 298. However, a recent Indian Army drone hijacking near the Pakistan border has raised security concerns, highlighting the need for certified, reliable companies to provide secure solutions.

India’s defense strategy is increasingly dependent on cutting-edge drone technology to counter challenges in high-altitude terrains, border surveillance, and rapid response operations. IG Drones’ VTOL systems are tailored for operations in extreme environments, offering unparalleled flexibility by enabling vertical take-off and landing in areas where runways are unavailable, such as mountainous regions and urban conflict zones.

The FPV drones, on the other hand, bring a real-time, first-person perspective to tactical reconnaissance, enabling precise intelligence gathering while keeping personnel out of harm’s way. These drones are particularly suited for urban warfare, search-and-rescue missions, and counter-infiltration efforts.

As part of the government’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, the Indian Army has prioritized procuring equipment that aligns with the country’s vision for self-reliance in defense manufacturing. IG Drones has responded to this call by ensuring its platforms are free from Chinese components, addressing concerns over potential data security vulnerabilities.

Speaking on the milestone, Mr. Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, Founder and CEO of IG Drones, remarked:

This contract reflects the Indian Army’s trust in our ability to deliver secure, world-class drone systems. By integrating indigenous innovation with advanced capabilities, we aim to empower the armed forces to meet modern security challenges head-on. With this, we have global aspirations to take drone ecosystem and 5-G enabled drone solutions to another level. We are committed to our forces’ determination for ensuring fool-proof security and surveillance along the borders.

Expressing his views, Major General RC Padhi, Senior VP (R&D), IG Drones, said —

The procurement of these indigenously developed drones is a significant step toward bolstering our operational capabilities amid evolving security challenges. These advanced drone systems, tailored for high-altitude and tactical operations, will play a pivotal role in ensuring reliable surveillance, precise intelligence gathering, and enhanced border security. This partnership underscores our commitment to embracing Made-in-India solutions for a self-reliant and secure defense ecosystem.

The Indian drone market is experiencing rapid growth, fueled by increasing demand across sectors like defense, agriculture, and logistics. Government initiatives such as the Drone Shakti scheme and a ban on the import of drones have further accelerated the adoption of indigenous technology. Recent data reveals that India now hosts over 390 drone startups, a figure that has more than doubled in the past three years, showcasing the sector’s potential.

With this new contract, IG Drones not only strengthens its relationship with the Indian Army but also sets a benchmark for the role of homegrown technology in bolstering national security. By aligning its efforts with India’s vision for self-reliance and innovation, the company underscores the importance of indigenous solutions in addressing the country’s evolving defense needs.

The Indian drone market is expected to reach $13 Bn in size by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 21% between 2022 and 2030. In terms of volume, drone units are projected to increase from 10,803 in 2024 to 61,393 by 2029. This rapid expansion is fueled by growing demand across sectors such as agriculture, defense, and e-commerce.

About IG Drones

IG Drones is a leading drone technology company specializing in advanced defense and industrial solutions. Driven by innovation, it has established itself as a pioneer in delivering cutting-edge technologies to meet the evolving needs of industries and national defense. At the forefront of industry-first breakthroughs, IG Drones is revolutionizing the sector with 5G-enabled drones and Made-in-India manufacturing. With AI-powered solutions, the company enhances drone applications across defense and industry. Founded by Bodhisattwa and Om Prakash and headquartered in Noida, IG Drones exemplifies industrial leadership in drone technology and innovation in India.

NASA and Uber-backed Joby Aviation Testing Electric Air-Taxi Flight

Joby’s all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is pictured at the company's Electric Flight Base, located near Big Sur, California. NASA began flight testing with the aircraft as part of the agency’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Campaign, Monday. This test runs through Friday, Sept.10. Credits: Joby Aviation

US-based space agency NASA has began flight testing with cab aggregator Uber -funded electric aircraft company Joby Aviation (Joby). Tagged as a Unicorn company, Joby Aviation is an aerospace transportation company developing electric aircrafts. Uber Technologies, Inc has invested a total of $125 million in Joby.

NASA has began testing Joby’s all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as part of the space agency’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Campaign, announced NASA.

Joby's aircraft has a maximum range of 150 miles on a single charge, can transport a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph.

This testing runs through Friday, Sept.10, at Joby’s Electric Flight Base located in California. This is the first time NASA will test an eVTOL aircraft as part of the campaign.

"In the future, eVTOL aircraft could serve as air taxis for those in cities and surrounding areas around the country, adding another mode of transportation for moving people and goods.", said NASA.

In this round of testing, NASA will collect data from Joby’s eVTOL aircraft, which is intended to serve as a commercial passenger service in the future. Analyzing that data readies the AAM National Campaign to execute the first set of campaign tests, known as NC-1, slated for 2022, with more complex flight scenarios and other industry vehicles.

As the Joby aircraft flies planned test scenarios, the NASA team will collect information about how the vehicle moves, how the vehicle sounds, and how the vehicle communicates with controllers.

The team will deploy the mobile acoustics facility and construct an array of more than 50 microphones to measure the acoustic profile of Joby’s aircraft in different phases of flight.

NASA has also partnered with an another U.S. startup called Elroy Air, which is developing the world's first autonomous drone capable of delivering 300 to 500 pounds (227 Kg) of cargo over a 300-mile (483 Km) range, with no need for airport or electric charging station.

Coming back to Uber connection with Joby, Uber invested $75 million in Joby, in december last year, as part of a broader transaction involving the acquisition of Uber's the aerial ride-hailing division, Uber Elevate, by Joby Aviation and an expanded partnership between the two parent companies.

On August 11, Joby Aviation becomes first U.S.-based eVTOL company listed on public market to begin trading on NYSE.

NASA Partnered with Startup for World's 1st VTOL Aerial Cargo Systems with Same-Day Shipping Worldwide

A U.S. startup Elroy Air is developing the world's first autonomous drone capable of delivering 300 to 500 pounds (227 Kg) of cargo over a 300-mile (483 Km) range, with no need for even an airport or electric charging station.

Elroy Air is aiming to improve quality of life worldwide by expanding the reach of expedited logistics via air cargo.

Five-year-old Elroy Air is an aerospace + logistics startup developing the world’s first end-to-end automated vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial cargo systems, and has even collaborating with the US space agency NASA to accelerate and improve the safe integration of advanced autonomous cargo aircraft into the United States airspace.

Together, NASA and Elroy Air intend to demonstrate key integrated operational Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) scenarios with flights of Chaparral, an Elroy Air's autonomous VTOL cargo aircraft. NASA will provide Elroy Air with simulation scenarios and software interface details to validate connection and data formats.

Chaparral is a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) cargo aircraft being developed by the team at Elroy Air in San Francisco, California. The system will carry 136 kg (300lbs) of cargo over a 483 km range.

The Chaparral took a successful test flight that was conducted with a team of just 16 employees in August of 2019.

With ability for autonomous cargo loading and unloading, Chaparral  aircraft allows a single pilot to operate a fleet of 10-50 UAVs from a remote location. With these stunning features, the Elroy Air team believes drones have the power to improve quality of life worldwide by expanding the reach of express logistics.

Elroy Air will join two more companies - Wisk and Alaka'i Technologies, who signed information exchange agreements with NASA last year. Wisk is all-electric eVTOL air taxi and Alaka’i is eVTOL air taxi called Skai.

The three companies, along with other NASA industry partners, will prepare for the first National Campaign series, called NC-1, beginning in 2022 with intent to assess safety scenarios focused on automation and vehicle designs. These will focus on demonstrating integrated operations through flight activities with vehicles and third-party airspace service providers at various locations around the country.

Volocopter Raises €200 Million in Series D Funding Round

- €200 million (USD 240 million) raised in an oversubscribed Series D funding

- New investors include funds managed by BlackRock, Avala Capital, Atlantia S.p.A., Continental AG, NTT, and Tokyo Century amongst others, with all existing investors also joining the round

- Funding will be used to solidify Volocopter's market leadership

BRUCHSAL, Germany, March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), announced the signing of their Series D funding round today, raising €200 million in additional capital. Cumulatively, Volocopter has raised €322 million. The funding will be used to solidify Volocopter's leading position in the UAM market by bringing the VoloCity, the battery-powered air taxi for cities, to certification and by accelerating the launch of its first commercial routes.

 
Volocopter is in the final stages of providing new, sustainable mobility options for cities around the world. Their future services range from electric autonomous air taxis flying passengers directly and safely to their destinations to transporting goods with the company's VoloDrone.

Having ten years of development experience, Volocopter is a leader in the urban air mobility space. As the first and only electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company to receive Design Organisation Approval (DOA) by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Volocopter expects its first commercial air taxi routes to be opened within the next two years.

"Volocopter is ahead of the curve in the UAM industry, and we have the achievements to prove it," says Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter. "No other electric air taxi company has publicly performed as many flights in cities around the world, with full regulatory approval, as Volocopter has. Our VoloCity is the fifth generation of Volocopter aircraft and has a strong path to being the first certified electric air taxi for cities. Volocopter already has the extensive partnerships necessary to set up the UAM ecosystem for launching both our company and the industry into commercial operations. We are called the pioneers of UAM for a reason, and we plan to keep that title."

Volocopter offers a holistic approach to the UAM market by developing a full ecosystem to connect all the vital parts to get the industry off the ground. This includes multipurpose aircraft (VoloCity and VoloDrone), physical and digital infrastructure (VoloPort and VoloIQ), as well as partnerships with global leaders in their respective fields.

"We are thrilled to welcome investors who share our belief that innovative technology like our Volocopter is one of the key enablers for a sustainable future," says Rene Griemens, CFO of Volocopter. "Our shareholder structure remains well balanced with a healthy mix of strategic and financial partners spread as globally as our business ambitions."

New investors in Volocopter include funds managed by BlackRock, global infrastructure company Atlantia S.p.A., Avala Capital, mobility technology giant Continental AG, global technology focused investment fund Jericho Capital, global technology and business solutions provider NTT via its venture capital arm, Tokyo Century, a leading Japanese leasing company, leading family offices, and others. All existing investors, including Geely, Daimler, DB Schenker, Intel Capital, btov Partners, Team Europe, and Klocke Holding amongst others also joined the round.

Volocopter has performed several milestone flights in Helsinki, Stuttgart, Dubai, and over Singapore's Marina Bay in recent years. While the first routes are yet to be announced, the company has committed to establishing air taxi services in Singapore and Paris with plans to expand many more routes in the US, Asia, and Europe.

About Volocopter

Volocopter is building the world's first sustainable and scalable urban air mobility business to bring affordable air taxi services to megacities worldwide. With the VoloCity, the company is developing the first fully electric "eVTOL" aircraft in certification to transport passengers safely and quietly within cities. Volocopter leads and cooperates with partners in infrastructure, operations, and air traffic management to build the ecosystem necessary to 'Bring Urban Air Mobility to Life'.: www.volocopter.com

Indian Army signs a $20 Million Contract with ideaForge to Procure SWITCH UAV

MUMBAI, India, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indian Army has signed an approximately $20 million contract for undisclosed quantities of a high-altitude variant of ideaForge's SWITCH UAV which will be delivered over a period of 1 year. ideaForge has been awarded this contract after it emerged as the only vendor that qualified the operational requirements in an evaluation done in real-world conditions, for a fast-track procurement. The contract marks a strategic shift in the Indian defence procurement process as the Indian Army goes on an aggressive modernization drive. It has also cemented ideaForge's position as India's largest manufacturer of drones for defence, homeland security and industrial applications.

SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater for the most demanding surveillance operations of the Indian Forces. This Fixed Wing VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) UAV can be deployed at high altitude and harsh environments for day and night surveillance in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It is man-portable and has the highest time on target compared to any other UAV in its class.

Speaking on the development, ideaForge CEO, Ankit Mehta said, "SWITCH UAV is the culmination of insights and knowledge we have gained over years of experience in helping the Indian Forces operationalize UAVs in their ranks. The trials saw about a dozen national and global players compete to meet the operational requirements. SWITCH UAV is the only product that cleared the Indian Army's stringent product trials and surpassed expectations. It is a testimony of the fact that our systems are built like a bird and tested like a tank. Our systems are fully ready to serve nations that seek to protect their territorial sovereignty."

"A combination of world-class technology and a deep understanding of customer requirements has resulted in ideaForge bagging this contract against global competition. With the backing of reputed institutional investors such as WRVI, Infosys and Qualcomm, ideaForge is all set to grow rapidly. We plan to work with like-minded investors and partners to achieve our vision of premier drone company serving enterprise, security and surveillance market globally," said Ganapathy Subramaniam, Partner - WRVI Venture Capital who also serves as Executive Chairman - ideaForge.

About ideaForge

Built on a strong foundation of interdisciplinary engineering, ideaForge has become a global leader in UAV technology. Its drones offer class-leading performance and reliability, and have been widely adopted for defence, homeland security and enterprise applications. In India, ideaForge has by far the largest market share in the security, surveillance and industrial market of drones. Its customers include Indian Defence Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State Police Forces, and have conducted over 150,000 missions using its drones. ideaForge has a diverse list of industrial customers as well in sectors such as geospatial surveying, oil & gas, mining and many more. For more information, visit www.ideaforge.co.in

Uber To Bring Flying Taxi in India; CEO Khosrowshahi Met Aviation Minister

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was on India tour till yesterday and as earlier we reported that during his visit he will meet Indian government officials, regulators and company employees. Now the latest news is coming that Khosrowshahi had a meeting with Jayant Sinha, who's India’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and talked about possible partnerships between the Uber and India, including a flying car collaboration.

Khosrowshahi tweeted about the meeting with the minister on Thursday, saying the duo discussed both airport partnerships and what they deem is “the future of commercial air travel” -- flying vehicles.

Great meeting with the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, @jayantsinha, to discuss airport partnerships and future of commercial air travel in the form of flying cars. pic.twitter.com/4H7AOqDHNx

— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) February 22, 2018

Notably, Uber is said to be working with 6-7 different vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and sees big potential for flying taxis in India, especially cities such as Mumbai where cars can barely move during peak hours.

Moreover in last month, Mark Moore, who is Engineering Director of Aviation at Uber, told a business daily that for electric flying taxis Uber is talking with a lot of governments across the world and India makes a lot of sense, particularly in densely populated areas and Uber would love to work with Indian government for this.

Notably, for quite some time India's Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha is also advocating on flying taxis in India. Last month, he said that Indian aviation department department is actively discussing the concept of an “air rickshaw” or "Drone Rikshaw" to solve the issue of transportation in the country.

In December last year, while speaking at a tech conclave Mr.Sinha urged startups and tech-giants to explore the scope for developing 'drone-rickshaws' and electrical two-wheelers to address traffic problems and air pollution. He said the cost of travelling by air is Rs 4 per km, which is equivalent to travelling in an autorickshaw."We in the future are going to see Air Rickshaws. Drones that are powered by electric propulsion", he further added.

Uber, on other hand, has already working on initiative of flying-taxi fleet called uberAIR and in last November even announced a flying car partnership with NASA late last year, revealing it will start testing such solutions in 2020. The cab-hailing firm is already understood to be working on a prototype capable of carrying four passengers and flying at up to 200mph (322kmph). The taxi is planned to be tested at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport before its trials move to Los Angeles.

Additionally, it is to be noted that in order to improve India’s transportation system, Niti Aayog, which is Indian govt's think tank, has also working on Pod Taxi and for piloting the same it has shortlisted three Indian cities -- Varanasi, Nagpur, and Gurugram.