Breaking barriers in defence tech, IG Drones earns India’s first patent for an AI-powered drone simulator, reducing India’s foreign dependency.
Noida-based startup IG Drones has become the first Indian company to receive a patent for a defence drone simulator, first unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Defence Expo 2022.
The simulator is fully designed and developed in India. It is intended to provide realistic, high-fidelity training to personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and paramilitary forces.
Built using AI, real-time terrain dynamics, and physics-based engines, the simulator eliminates the need for foreign training systems. Trainees can simulate combat operations in complex scenarios, including GPS-denied zones and multi-drone missions.
The company sees this as a significant milestone in the country’s push for indigenous defence technologies under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
“This patent is a proud declaration of India’s technological resurgence,” said Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, Founder and CEO of IG Drones. He also described this as a cost-effective, secure alternative to imported platforms.
The company has previously worked with the Indian Armed Forces and was involved in Operation Sindoor, where it deployed its domestically developed vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), first-person view (FPV), and loitering drones for mapping, surveillance, and precision missions.
With this patent, IG Drones becomes the first in the country to secure intellectual property rights for a drone simulator—an area previously dominated by international players.
The achievement, the company says, supports India’s broader goal of becoming a leading force in indigenous defence innovation as part of the Viksit Bharat 2047 mission.
