Mumbai-based ideaForge Technology has signed a definitive agreement with the Technology Development Board (TDB), which sits under the Department of Science and Technology, for a concessional loan of up to Rs 151 crore to develop YETI, a heavy-lift autonomous aerial logistics vehicle, according to Swarajya, Free Press Journal and Logistics Insider. The company said it signed the term-debt agreement on 9 October 2026, and the funds will be released in tranches, with none yet disbursed.
The total project cost is Rs 302 crore, so the TDB loan covers half of it, according to the reports. The remaining Rs 151 crore is not described in the reports reviewed, and they do not say whether it will come from ideaForge’s own funds or other sources. A search summary says the loan carries simple interest of 4 per cent and a tenure of three years, but Swarajya’s article does not give an interest rate, so that detail is treated as unconfirmed.
YETI is a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle that combines vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) with a fixed-wing design for long-distance flight. It is designed to carry up to 200 kg over a range of 200 km, with communication links that extend to 200 km, according to Swarajya. It can operate at altitudes up to 6,500 metres above mean sea level and needs a take-off area of only about 15 metres by 15 metres.
Other features listed in the report include operation that does not depend on satellite navigation, redundant propulsion and power systems, and swarm operations. The target applications are cargo transport in difficult places, including high-altitude regions, deserts, coastal areas and locations with limited road connectivity.
The project is intended to take the technology from Technology Readiness Level 4 to Technology Readiness Level 9. TRL 4 means that components have been validated in a laboratory, and TRL 9 means that a system has been proven in actual operations, according to the standard scale, which is general background and not part of the reports. The step from TRL 4 to TRL 9 therefore covers the whole path from a tested prototype to operational use.
The comparison with existing drones shows the size of the step. A load of 200 kg is about the weight of two to three adults, and a drone that carries it 200 km at high altitude from a take-off area of 15 metres by 15 metres would be a considerable logistics tool for places without roads. The reports reviewed do not say who the customers would be.
The reports reviewed do not give ideaForge’s current order book, its financial results or its share price reaction to the loan.
The reports describe the loan as ‘up to’ Rs 151 crore, so the final amount depends on the tranches that are released.
The numbers can be set side by side. The loan of Rs 151 crore and the total cost of Rs 302 crore mean that the Technology Development Board is financing 50 per cent of the project, which is IndiaX24’s own calculation from the two figures. The three-year tenure reported by one outlet would mean that repayment falls due while the project is still moving from prototype to operational use, although the reports reviewed do not explain the repayment schedule.
No delivery date for YETI is given in the reports reviewed. IndiaX24 will report the development milestones and any trial results when ideaForge announces them.
Image: An agricultural drone in Kerala, 2023 (file photo; a stand-in image, not the YETI drone). Photo by Vis M, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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