Watch: Indian Army's Latest Exercise Sees Deployment Of IdeaForge's Made-In-India 'Switch' UAV Ordered In 2021

The Indian Army completed its latest 'Agneyastra-1' military exercise in the eastern Ladakh sector.

The exercise witnessed the deployment of IdeaForge's indigenous 'Switch' unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Indian Army had placed an order for these UAVs in early January 2021, at a cost of Rs 140 crore

The use of the UAV can be seen from the 35 second mark in a video uploaded by the Indian Army's Northern Command.

This order marked the Army's first significant procurement of Made-in-India drones from an Indian private manufacturer.

According to IdeaForge, the drones manufacturer, the Switch UAV is capable of taking off from altitude of more than 4,000 metres, with a maximum endurance of around two hours.

Weighing just 6.5 kg, the UAV can provide real-time imagery of the battlefield.

The UAV is operated from a ground control station (GCS), which includes a high-range communication box, a hand-held controller for complete camera control, and a laptop/tablet for live video streaming and pre-flight checks.

The UAV offers real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) imagery of the target area, functioning day and night, even in harsh conditions at high altitudes.

The CEO of the Navi-Mumbai based company, Ankit Mehta, at the time of contract signing has said in an interview to Livefist that, “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," he adds.

"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,” Mehta further said.

IdeaForge has beaten competitive offerings from Tata Group, Dynamatic Technologies Ltd, VTOL Aviation and Israel’s Elbit Systems.