The TDB-supported programme will fund further technology development, engineering, integration, testing and validation
The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has signed an agreement with ideaForge Technology Limited for ₹151 crore in debt financing under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund to develop YETI, a heavy-lift, long-range autonomous aerial logistics vehicle.
The project has a total cost of ₹302 crore and aims to advance YETI from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 to TRL 9, progressing the platform towards deployment, subject to technical, safety and regulatory requirements.
YETI is being developed as a hybrid vertical take-off and landing, fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (VTOL-FW UAV) designed to transport payloads of up to 200kg over a targeted range of 200km. The platform is designed to operate at altitudes of up to 6,500 metres above mean sea level, with applications in high-altitude regions, deserts and marine environments.
The UAV combines vertical take-off and landing capabilities with fixed-wing flight for long-range missions. It is designed to operate from unprepared landing areas measuring approximately 15 metres × 15 metres, reducing dependence on conventional runway infrastructure. Its proposed features include redundant propulsion and power architecture, navigation in GNSS-denied environments, communication links of up to 200km, swarm operations and containerised transportation for rapid deployment.
The platform is intended to address logistics challenges in remote and difficult-to-access locations where conventional transportation may be constrained by terrain, weather or limited infrastructure. Potential applications include the transportation of essential supplies across geographically challenging areas.
The TDB-supported programme will fund further technology development, engineering, integration, testing and validation as ideaForge works towards achieving TRL 9. The project falls under the deep technology sector, with a focus on intelligent systems and robotics.
Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB, said the agreement reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening India’s capabilities in autonomous systems, robotics and next-generation aerospace technologies. He noted that indigenous heavy-lift aerial platforms could improve access to remote locations and that the RDI Fund supports technology-intensive projects requiring sustained investment.
The CEO and Co-founder of ideaForge Technology Limited said YETI is being developed to address logistics challenges in environments where road access and weather conditions complicate transportation. The company views the government’s support under the RDI framework as an endorsement of India’s growing capabilities in deep-tech development and indigenous autonomous systems.
