Back in November 2021, the occasion of Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi handing over ideaForge’s High Altitude SWITCH UAV to the Indian Army marked the on-time execution of the first high-value drone contract received by an Indian firm. ideaForge received the $20 Million contract after clearing tough field evaluations. This was the first time the Indian Defense Forces entrusted an Indian company to deliver an indigenous high tech product in a short span of time. Despite the severe challenges posed by the pandemic related disruptions, ideaForge proved its resilience by pulling through and delivering in time, without needing extensions.
ideaForge has also been entrusted with the responsibility of an additional order for the High Altitude SWITCH UAV. The said additional order also needs to be executed in the same timeframe as earlier, in order to help extend the capabilities augmented by the Indian Army under the first contract.
The High Altitude SWITCH UAV is a Vertical Take-off and Landing drone that takes off vertically like a helicopter and then transitions into flying like a regular plane even in High Altitudes with low temperatures, high winds and low density of air. SWITCH UAV in that context is a drone that can be carried on the back of a Jawan and deployed, with confidence, to act as the eyes-in-the-sky for our forces. Thus, it can help in increasing situational awareness on our borders for ISR missions without necessarily needing our forces to always be in harm’s way both physically and climatically.