Mumbai: ideaForge Technology Limited, India’s leading manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems, has received Letter of Intent up to ₹151 Crore long term debt financing with nominal rate of interest under the Government of India’s Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Scheme. The capital will be channelled into the development of YETI, a heavy-lift, autonomous aerial platform engineered to operate in some of the world’s highest terrains and most extreme environments.
Indian armed forces defend a long border in a wide range of terrains – Himalayas in the north with operations at 4,000m to 6,000m altitude, the desert in the west, marshes and forests in the east, and a long coastline. Logistics is severely hindered by terrain and weather, causing critical delays. Several industrial and civilian operations are also affected by terrain and weather – trade and commerce in remote regions, critical infrastructure construction, offshore platform logistics, etc.
YETI aims to bridge this critical gap and help achieve the broader national goals of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat. It is an autonomous Fixed-wing VTOL hybrid aircraft engineered to perform reliably in the most extreme environments – high altitude, deserts, and marine. Capable of lifting loads up to 200 kilograms and reaching ranges of up to 200 kilometres, it can take off from small semi prepared launch pads, is easy to set up and use, and operates day and night.
Designed to enable easy, autonomous aerial delivery of ammunition, equipment, and critical supplies to frontline locations, the platform is also capable of supporting infrastructure construction, industrial logistics, express aerial delivery, offshore logistics, and emergency response missions in difficult-to-access regions
The funding formalised at the inaugural Enterprise Technology Evaluation agreement signing ceremony is the first disbursement event under the government’s ₹1 lakh crore RDI scheme. The scheme aims to catalyse private sector-led deep tech innovation across strategic sectors including AI, robotics, space, and advanced manufacturing. ideaForge is among the first companies to secure funding under this framework, showcasing the government’s conviction in the company’s ability to deliver sovereign capability at scale.
Speaking on this development, Ankit Mehta, CEO and Co-founder of ideaForge Technology Ltd., said, “YETI represents a generational leap in what India can design, build, and operate autonomously. Our armed forces and our logistics networks face the daily reality of reaching where roads end, and weather doesn’t cooperate. YETI is our answer to that challenge, which is engineered not just to fly, but to deliver, reliably and repeatably, in the conditions that define the toughest operational environments. The government’s confidence in ideaForge through the RDI framework is a reaffirmation that Indian deeptech players are now ready to carry the weight of national capability-building.”
ideaForge had first unveiled the concept of YETI at Aero India last year as part of its next-generation mission-first platforms aimed at futureproofing the forces and improving operational efficiency and safety. The platform marks the company’s expansion beyond surveillance-focused UAVs into autonomous, high-capacity aerial logistics systems.
YETI also reflects the broader shift towards specialised, AI-enabled logistics drones capable of supporting both military and commercial operations. Developing such a platform indigenously for sovereign applications aligns closely with India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision and the country’s growing focus on self-reliant defence technologies.
