Built Different Pioneering the Indian UAS market, ideaForge is the pre-eminent leader with the largest operational deployment of indigenous drones.
Navi Mumbai
Joined August 2009
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From a #hovercraft idea at IIT Bombay to multi-role #tactical UAVs - a closer look at our engineering journey.
Our CEO @ankit_ideaForge takes @caleb_friesen @RuntimeBRT through #SWITCH, #ZOLT, our manufacturing facility, the engineering behind our platforms, and much more.
Many people mistakenly believe that ideaForge (@ideaforge_tech) began their journey with quadcopter drones.
They didn't.
RuntimeBRT recently took a tour of ideaForge's facilities in Mumbai. During this visit Ankit Mehta revealed that ideaForge's first project was a hovercraft.
In 2004, while studying at the IIT Bombay, Rahul Singh came up with the idea to build a hovercraft to navigate Powai Lake. That ambition is what brought him together with his co-founders, Ankit Mehta and Ashish Bhat, later joined by Vipul Joshi in 2008.
They would eventually pivot toward building the UAVs that the company is known for today. These drones have enabled the company to become India’s largest pure-play UAV manufacturer by market share, with ~50% in the domestic drone segment.
One ideaForge drone takes off every two minutes.
More than two decades after the hovercraft, ideaForge continues their culture of innovation with something new: ZOLT, a multi-role tactical UAV platform designed to operate in contested combat environments. This UAV also introduces a hybrid propulsion system to enable longer-endurance missions, expanding ideaForge’s capabilities alongside its electric UAV portfolio.
In this tour, Ankit Mehta (@ankit_ideaForge) shows us ZOLT, ideaForge's SWITCH UAV manufacturing facility, and everything else the company is working on. Enjoy!
Large facilities need visibility that goes beyond the ground.
#FLYGHTEnterprise, our Drone-as-a-Service solution, brings aerial intelligence to industrial security and operations - without investing in a drone fleet or managing an in-house pilot team.
Help your teams see more, assess faster and act with confidence across a range of needs, including perimeter surveillance, asset inspections and emergency assessment.
Watch how an #aerial perspective can support your facility’s evolving needs.
Know more about FLYGHT Enterprise - ideaforgetech.com/flyght/fly…
#DroneAsAService #AerialIntelligence #IndustrySecurity #AssetInspection
Aerial intelligence meets geospatial AI.
We welcome TerraQuery-AI to ideaForge, bringing #GeospatialAI expertise into our #AerialIntelligence portfolio. This partnership strengthens our capabilities across aerial #DataCollection and #Analysis, advancing more integrated intelligence solutions that help users make faster, better-informed decisions.
On the 80th #InfantryDay, we honour the soldiers whose courage, commitment and sacrifice safeguard our nation.
Their service inspires our continued commitment to developing technology that strengthens awareness on the ground and supports those who protect India.
Jai Hind!
#ShauryaDiwas #IndianArmy #ideaForge #BuiltDifferent
Monitoring fishing activity across vast coastal stretches requires more than conventional boat patrols. It demands timely visibility, reliable evidence and coordinated enforcement.
With #SWITCH UAVs deployed across seven coastal districts, the Maharashtra Department of Fisheries has strengthened aerial surveillance and fisheries enforcement through high-resolution imaging, real-time video feeds and location-specific intelligence.
The deployment has supported 10,000+ #surveillance flights and contributed to 3,200+ challans, helping authorities identify suspected violations, make more informed enforcement decisions and support search-and-rescue efforts at sea.
Discover how aerial surveillance is transforming fisheries enforcement and coastal monitoring. Download the case study: forms.zohopublic.com/kruthia…
#CoastalSurveillance #FisheriesEnforcement #MarineConservation #AerialSurveillance #DroneTechnology #ideaForge
From #BorderSurveillance and #TacticalReconnaissance to long-range #ISTAR and #persistent overwatch, ZOLT is designed to support diverse mission requirements across demanding operational environments.
With the electric ZOLT supporting persistent tactical surveillance and #ZOLTHybrid extending endurance and operational reach, the platform brings together mission versatility and an #indigenous EW-resilient architecture built around anti-jam communications, GNSS-denied navigation and onboard intelligence.
Watch the video to see how #ZOLT is being configured to meet evolving tactical requirements.
Know more: ideaforgetech.com/security-a…
#TacticalUAV #EWResilience
Military advantage increasingly depends on how quickly countries can turn emerging technologies into dependable operational capabilities and on their ability to adapt and sustain those capabilities over time.
At #RaisinaMiddleEast in Abu Dhabi, our CEO and Co-founder, @ankit_ideaForge, contributed to the #DeepTech Network session, “The New Defence Equation: Innovation, Deterrence, and Technological Sovereignty.”
Convened by @orfonline and @orfmiddleeast, the session featured a spotlight address by H.E. Omran Sharaf (@OmranSharaf), Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Arab Emirates. @Rudra_81 delivered the introductory remarks, and @RLuthra chaired the discussion.
Ankit joined contributors from government, defence, industry and investment to examine how autonomous systems, AI, and space-based intelligence are reshaping strategic capabilities. The discussion explored the procurement, financing and civil-military collaboration needed to bring these technologies into operational use at speed and scale.
It also examined emerging dependencies across software, semiconductors, data, and supply chains, and how trusted international partnerships can support capability development while preserving long-term technological sovereignty.
@raisinadialogue, @samirsaran, @MEAIndia, @mofauae
#DefenceInnovation #DeepTech #TechnologicalSovereignty
Mission Stories | #GadchiroliPolice
In the dense forests along the Maharashtra–Chhattisgarh border, timely #aerialintelligence plays a critical role in supporting anti-Naxal operations.
During his tenure as Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli, Shri Neelotpal, IPS (currently SP, Kolhapur), witnessed how our #SWITCH UAVs strengthened surveillance and supported operational planning in challenging terrain.
From locating armed formations to helping avert planned incidents and guiding #AntiNaxal operations, SWITCH has played an important role in supporting Gadchiroli Police's efforts.
Hear from Shri Neelotpal how SWITCH UAVs helped strengthen #surveillance and support anti-Naxal operations in Gadchiroli: youtube.com/watch?v=qkQ6MAzT…
#MissionStories #ideaForge #AerialSurveillance #PublicSafety
ideaForge Technology Limited retweeted
Thank you, @DrSJaishankar sir, for your encouraging words and valuable insights at @raisinadialogue Middle East, and for the opportunity to share @ideaforge_tech's journey and discuss the support needed to grow India’s defence exports.
Monitoring #pipeline Right-of-Way (RoW) corridors across difficult terrain requires timely visibility into #encroachments, #UnauthorisedActivity and #PotentialHazards that conventional ground patrols may not detect quickly enough.
For a leading Indian energy company, our #Q6V2 UAV enabled day-and-night #AerialSurveillance, #AI-assisted event detection and real-time monitoring of pipeline corridors.
The deployment reduced surveillance lead time by over 90% and enabled teams to access live aerial footage within 10 minutes of an alert, helping them detect anomalies, track changes along the corridor and coordinate field responses with real-time visual evidence.
Discover how #drone-based surveillance is enabling faster, more informed #PipelineSecurity and Right-of-Way monitoring. Download the case study: forms.zohopublic.com/kruthia…
#PipelineSecurity #OilAndGas #RightOfWay #CriticalInfrastructure #DroneTechnology #BuiltDifferent
ideaForge Technology Limited retweeted
🇮🇳 INDIA'S 200-KG AUTONOMOUS CARGO DRONE
🚨Govt announces ₹151 crore RDI support for ideaForge's YETI heavy-lift UAV. @ankit_ideaForge @ideaforge_tech
🚨Designed to carry up to 200 kg over a targeted 200-km range.
🚨Operating altitude up to 6,500 metres above sea level.
🚨Hybrid VTOL, GNSS-denied navigation and swarm capability planned.
🚨Development project. Not yet operationally inducted.
Understanding how aerial data fits into everyday #GIS and #mapping work starts with bringing technology teams and users together.
At our recent ConnectXchange workshop at Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), Kochi, we brought participants together to explore the role of #UAV technology in GIS and mapping, connecting #aerialdata capabilities with practical geospatial needs.
We were also pleased to welcome a representative from the Indian Coast Guard to the workshop.
Thank you to #GCDA and everyone who joined us. Exchanges like these help us better understand user requirements and build stronger connections between technology and its application on the ground.
Note: ConnectXchange is our flagship engagement initiative where users and decision-makers can explore UAV capabilities and discuss their operational requirements with our team. To schedule a session for your organisation, connect with us at [email protected].
#ideaForge #DroneMapping #Geospatial
Reducing disaster risk requires early detection and reliable information to guide response and recovery.
On the #InternationalDayforDisasterRiskReduction, we share how our UAVs have supported authorities and response teams on the ground.
#DRRDay
From Karnataka’s forest fires and Uttarakhand’s floods to Nepal’s earthquake and Irshalwadi’s landslide, our UAVs supported detection, assessment and rescue coordination.
Explore our case studies to understand how aerial intelligence supports teams on the ground - from the challenges they face to deployment outcomes that can inform your own planning - ideaforgetech.com/resources/…
Monitoring borders, forward areas, and movement corridors requires sustained observation, with timely intelligence to support operational decisions.
#ZOLT, our multi-role tactical UAV, supports persistent #ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) across demanding tactical environments. Its configurable daylight and thermal payloads support day and night missions, from border #surveillance and #reconnaissance to target acquisition, artillery fire support, and post-mission assessment.
Supporting these missions is our indigenous, EW-resilient architecture, which combines Anti-Jam Communications, GNSS-denied navigation, and Onboard Intelligence to maintain mission continuity in contested environments.
Explore ZOLT - ideaforgetech.com/security-a…
#ideaForge #TacticalUAV #BuiltDifferent #ElectronicWarfare
Moving critical supplies across remote, high-altitude terrain is a demanding logistics challenge. With #YETI, we are developing heavy-lift, #LongRange autonomous aerial capabilities to address this need.
We have signed a debt financing agreement with the Technology Development Board (@tdbgoi), under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, to support YETI’s research and development through the Research, Development and Innovation (#RDI) Scheme.
This government support strengthens our long-term technology roadmap as we advance indigenous autonomous systems for demanding logistics missions.
@IndiaDST @DrJitendraSingh @GoI_MeitY @Joee_vipul @ankit_ideaForge
Read more: cnbctv18.com/market/stocks/i…
#ideaForge #AerialLogistics #AutonomousSystems
ideaForge Technology Limited retweeted
ideaForge launches ZOLT hybrid & UCAV: Why are hybrid engines utilised for extended aircraft missions, and how do they balance battery and fuel systems?
CEO & Co-founder Ankit Mehta explains that fuel-based systems provide high energy density for long-duration flights, whereas battery systems efficiently handle variable loads and power-intensive vertical takeoffs and landings (VTOL) where fuel engines would be too heavy - listen in
@SnehiShah11 @ideaforge_tech #drones #HybridEngines #Aviation
On #IndianAirForceDay, we honour the courage and dedication of the men and women who safeguard our skies.
Their service reinforces our commitment to building #indigenous aerial systems that support our armed forces and strengthen India’s defence capabilities.
@IAF_MCC
#IndianAirForce #BuiltDifferent #AerialSystems #UAVs
ZOLT Hybrid & ZOLT UCAV
From persistent ISTAR to precision effects, #ZOLT is expanding into a broader #tactical mission space.
The two configurations address distinct operational requirements - from longer-range #surveillance and persistent overwatch to #combat-oriented missions - while sharing a common #indigenous Electronic Warfare-resilient architecture designed for contested environments.
Read more about how ZOLT is strengthening our #TacticalUAV portfolio: businessworld.in/article/ide…
@BWBusinessworld