ideaForge secures ₹151 crore RDI support to develop heavy-lift logistics drone
The ₹302 crore YETI project aims to develop an indigenous autonomous aircraft capable of carrying up to 200 kg over a targeted range of 200 km, including in difficult terrain
The proposed platform is intended to move supplies across locations where conventional transport faces terrain, weather or infrastructure constraints, including high-altitude regions, deserts and marine environments.
NEW DELHI: The Technology Development Board (TDB) has signed an agreement with ideaForge Technology Limited to provide ₹151 crore in debt financing under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund for developing YETI, a heavy-lift autonomous aerial logistics vehicle.
The Department of Science and Technology said in an announcement on Wednesday that the ₹302 crore project aims to advance the platform from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-4 to TRL-9, taking it through further engineering, integration, testing and validation towards operational deployment.
YETI is being designed as a hybrid unmanned aircraft that combines vertical take-off and landing with fixed-wing flight for longer-range operations. Its targeted specifications include a payload capacity of up to 200 kg, a range of up to 200 km and an operating altitude of up to 6,500 metres above mean sea level.
The proposed platform is intended to move supplies across locations where conventional transport faces terrain, weather or infrastructure constraints, including high-altitude regions, deserts and marine environments.
It is designed to take off and land from unprepared areas measuring approximately 15 metres by 15 metres. Containerised transportation is intended to support rapid movement and deployment of the system.
Other planned capabilities include navigation without Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, a communication link extending up to 200 km and swarm operations. Distributed and redundant propulsion and power systems are intended to improve fault tolerance.
TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said indigenous heavy-lift aerial platforms could improve access to remote locations, adding that the RDI Fund supports technology-intensive projects requiring sustained investment to progress towards deployment.
ideaForge’s CEO and co-founder Ankit Mehta said YETI was being developed to address the challenges faced by armed forces and logistics networks in reaching locations beyond road access and in difficult weather.
The project falls under the deep technology sector, within intelligent systems and robotics. Its progression towards TRL-9 will be subject to applicable technical, safety and regulatory requirements.
