Mumbai: In a significant milestone, ZOLT, the indigenous tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by ideaForge Technology Limited, will be showcased at India’s 77th Republic Day Parade, marking a key moment for India’s indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem.
A multi-role tactical UAV, ZOLT is designed for long-range Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions and precision payload delivery. Additionally, the company has further strengthened its intellectual property portfolio with the filing of 100 global patent applications, marking a defining moment in its innovation journey.
As electronic warfare becomes a defining feature of modern battlefields, India’s defence UAV ecosystem is rapidly evolving to meet new operational challenges. ZOLT is among the platforms contributing to this transformation. Engineered to perform in high-threat, high-altitude, and signal-contested environments, ZOLT delivers robust ECCM (Electronic Counter-Countermeasures) capabilities, including GNSS denied autonomy and resilience to communication jamming. It can seamlessly adapt to a variety of modern missions ranging from counter-insurgency and border surveillance to tactical strike operations.
Its VTOL versatility enables take-off and landing in challenging terrain while maintaining fixed-wing endurance. ideaForge has recently received a procurement order worth ₹75 crore from the Indian Army for this tactical UAV, ZOLT.
With regards to its intellectual property portfolio, the company proudly marks a major achievement with 100 global patent applications filed to date, of which 52 have been granted and 48 are currently under examination. These granted and pending patent applications span critical technology areas including autopilot and control systems, GNSS-denied navigation, electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) payloads, radio and data transmission, airframe design, batteries, motors and propellers, as well as the software stack, among others, reflecting the depth of the company’s ongoing R&D activities.
Ankit Mehta, CEO and Co-founder, ideaForge Technology Ltd, commented, “This is yet another proud moment for us, as our products are being showcased at the 77th Republic Day parade as a part of indigenous growing defence capabilities. Our core has always been to consistently invest in developing in-house technology to create sustainable solutions for our customers. In this quest, it is imperative to always be ahead of the curve to remain relevant by pre-empting the market and future needs to deliver an operational edge.”
He added, “Today, we have built a strong patent portfolio in UAV space, our extensive focus in defence pushes the team to deliver the highest levels of performance, autonomy, resilience and reliability in the harshest operating environments. Our tactical UAV platform, ZOLT, is rooted in the same philosophy and is already emerging as the leader with immense capability, thus resulting in strong demand. We believe in identifying the imminent capability gaps and translating them into mission-ready solutions for our customers.”
