ideaForge Technology has secured an emergency procurement order worth ₹137 crore from the Indian Army for its hybrid Mini unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the company announced on Monday. The drones, which played a key role in Operation Sindoor—India’s recent cross-border operation against Pakistan—will be delivered within 12 months.
Selected through a fast-track procurement route, the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones are designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions in rugged terrains. Their hybrid structure, combining fixed-wing efficiency with quadcopter lift capability, allows them to operate without a runway, making them ideal for high-altitude and constrained environments.
The Indian Army placed strict conditions on the order, mandating that none of the drone’s core components be sourced from countries sharing a land border with India. ideaForge successfully met this requirement after exhaustive checks by two technical teams that visited its manufacturing facilities to verify the origin and integrity of each part.
The drone systems are certified as “Fit for Indian Military Use” by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA), meeting military standards for durability, resilience, and mission effectiveness.
This procurement is part of a broader initiative by India’s armed forces to enhance readiness after recent hostilities along the western border. Emergency procurement rules allow the services to acquire vital equipment quickly, using up to 15 percent of the annual defence modernisation budget. For 2025–26, this cap stands at ₹24,000 crore.
Alongside Mini UAVs, the armed forces are also acquiring loitering munitions, anti-tank missiles, counter-drone systems, and artillery rounds to plug critical gaps in operational capability and maintain strategic preparedness.
