The Indian Army has signed an approximately $20 million contract for 
undisclosed quantities of a high-altitude variant of ideaForge's SWITCH UAV 
which will be delivered over a period of 1 year. ideaForge has been awarded 
this contract after it emerged as the only vendor that qualified the 
operational requirements in an evaluation done in real-world conditions, for a 
fast-track procurement. The contract marks a strategic shift in the Indian 
defence procurement process as the Indian Army goes on an aggressive 
modernization drive. It has also cemented ideaForge's position as India's 
largest manufacturer of drones for defence, homeland security and industrial 
applications.

    SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater for the most demanding 
surveillance operations of the Indian Forces. This Fixed Wing VTOL (Vertical 
Take-off and Landing) UAV can be deployed at high altitude and harsh 
environments for day and night surveillance in Intelligence, Surveillance and 
Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It is man-portable and has the highest time on 
target compared to any other UAV in its class.
 
    Speaking on the development, ideaForge CEO, Ankit Mehta said, "SWITCH UAV 
is the culmination of insights and knowledge we have gained over years of 
experience in helping the Indian Forces operationalize UAVs in their ranks. The 
trials saw about a dozen national and global players compete to meet the 
operational requirements. SWITCH UAV is the only product that cleared the 
Indian Army's stringent product trials and surpassed expectations. It is a 
testimony of the fact that our systems are built like a bird and tested like a 
tank. Our systems are fully ready to serve nations that seek to protect their 
territorial sovereignty."

    "A combination of world-class technology and a deep understanding of 
customer requirements has resulted in ideaForge bagging this contract against 
global competition. With the backing of reputed institutional investors such as 
WRVI, Infosys and Qualcomm, ideaForge is all set to grow rapidly. We plan to 
work with like-minded investors and partners to achieve our vision of premier 
drone company serving enterprise, security and surveillance market globally", 
said Ganapathy Subramaniam, Partner - WRVI Venture Capital who also serves as 
Executive Chairman - ideaForge.

    About ideaForge

    Built on a strong foundation of interdisciplinary engineering, ideaForge 
has become a global leader in UAV technology. Its drones offer class-leading 
performance and reliability, and have been widely adopted for defence, homeland 
security and enterprise applications. In India, ideaForge has by far the 
largest market share in the security, surveillance and industrial market of 
drones. Its customers include Indian Defence Forces, Central Armed Police 
Forces and State Police Forces, and have conducted over 150,000 missions using 
its drones. ideaForge has a diverse list of industrial customers as well in 
sectors such as geospatial surveying, oil & gas, mining and many more. For more 
information, visit www.ideaforge.co.in  

    Contact:
    Kruthi Aramanamada 
    ideaForge Technology Pvt Ltd
    press@ideaforge.co.in 

    Source: ideaForge Technology