TDB signs agreement with ideaForge for ₹151 crore RDI support to develop YETI heavy-lift autonomous aerial logistics vehicle

The Technology Development Board, under the Department of Science and Technology, has agreed to provide ideaForge Technology Limited with ₹151 crore through the Research Development and Innovation Fund. The support is debt financing, not a grant. The project’s total cost is ₹302 crore. Its purpose is to build and mature YETI, an autonomous heavy-lift aerial logistics vehicle.

The money will support further technology development, engineering, integration, testing and validation. YETI is designed as a vertical take-off and landing, fixed-wing hybrid aircraft. It is intended to carry payloads of up to 200 kg across distances of up to 200 km, including difficult operating environments.

The programme aims to advance YETI from Technology Readiness Level 4 to Level 9. Progress remains subject to technical, safety and regulatory requirements. The agreement places the project in the Deep Technology sector, under Intelligent Systems and Robotics, and supports India’s indigenous autonomous-systems capability.

YETI is an autonomous vertical take-off and landing, fixed-wing hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle. It is being developed for heavy-load logistics rather than only observation or light deliveries. The aircraft is intended to carry up to 200 kg and fly as far as 200 km, including in demanding environments.

Its VTOL capability lets it rise and descend vertically, without needing a conventional runway. Its fixed-wing configuration then supports longer-range operations. This combines two normally different aircraft roles: the access and flexibility of a rotor-based take-off with the long-distance flight design of a fixed-wing aircraft.

A conventional fixed-wing aircraft generally needs a runway or prepared strip. A conventional small drone may take off vertically but often has less payload or range. YETI’s proposed combination is meant to serve locations with limited infrastructure. The article identifies it as a platform progressing from TRL-4 toward TRL-9, subject to testing and approvals.

YETI’s proposed capacity is substantial for an autonomous aerial logistics platform. It can carry payloads of up to 200 kg. Its targeted range is up to 200 km, allowing supplies to travel between separated or difficult-to-reach locations without relying on continuous road access.

The aircraft is designed to operate at altitudes of up to 6,500 metres above mean sea level. It can take off and land vertically from relatively small, unprepared areas. The article gives an approximate landing-area size of 15 metres by 15 metres. That reduces the need for a conventional runway or large prepared airfield.

These figures describe the design targets announced for the programme, not a claim that every capability is already operational. The RDI-supported work will cover engineering, integration, testing and validation. The platform is intended for challenging environments such as high-altitude regions, deserts and marine conditions, subject to safety and regulatory requirements.

Technology Readiness Levels, or TRLs, describe a technology’s maturity. In general, lower levels represent earlier development and laboratory or prototype work. Higher levels indicate that a complete system has been tested in relevant conditions and is ready for, or proven in, operational use. TRL-4 therefore represents a less mature integrated technology than TRL-9.

For YETI, the programme must advance beyond its current TRL-4 position through technology development and engineering. It must integrate the aircraft’s major systems, then test and validate the complete platform. These activities cover the vehicle, propulsion, navigation, communications and intelligent control described in the programme.

The article says the goal is TRL-9, but progress is subject to applicable technical, safety and regulatory requirements. Reaching that target would mark a major step toward deployment. The ₹151 crore debt-financed support is intended to sustain the work needed to move from advanced development toward that stage.

YETI could help move essential supplies across places where roads are absent, damaged, slow or operationally constrained. A 200 kg payload could support logistics missions requiring more than a small drone can carry. The article highlights difficult terrain, remote locations and environments where conventional transportation is time-consuming or difficult.

Its vertical take-off and landing allows deployment from a relatively small, unprepared area measuring about 15 metres by 15 metres. Its fixed-wing flight configuration is intended to provide long-range movement, with a targeted range of up to 200 km. The platform is also designed for high-altitude, desert and marine conditions.

The aircraft could therefore connect locations that lack conventional transport infrastructure. The article does not identify specific cargo types or completed missions, so these are proposed logistics uses rather than demonstrated results. The programme still requires engineering, integration, testing and validation before it can progress toward TRL-9 and possible deployment.

YETI’s design combines two flight modes in one vehicle. Its vertical take-off and landing system lets it rise from, and descend into, a compact area without a conventional runway. This is important for remote or infrastructure-poor locations where prepared airfields may not exist.

After take-off, the fixed-wing configuration supports longer-range operations. Fixed wings generate lift during forward flight, allowing the aircraft to travel efficiently over the targeted range of up to 200 km. Near its destination, the vehicle can transition back to vertical flight for landing. The article identifies this combination as a key feature.

The result is a platform designed to offer both access and distance. It can use an approximately 15-metre by 15-metre unprepared landing area while retaining long-range flight capability. The exact transition technology and flight sequence are not detailed in the article. Those systems will be part of the development, integration and validation work toward TRL-9.

Satellite navigation can be unavailable or unreliable in some operating conditions. YETI’s proposed GNSS-denied navigation capability is intended to let it continue navigating without depending only on GNSS signals. The article does not specify the sensors, software or backup navigation method, so those implementation details remain part of development.

The aircraft also incorporates distributed and redundant propulsion and power architecture. In practical terms, distributing propulsion and adding redundancy can improve fault tolerance, so one fault need not necessarily disable the whole platform. YETI is additionally proposed to support a communication link of up to 200 km and swarm operations.

These capabilities are design objectives, not completed operational results. The RDI programme will fund engineering, integration, testing and validation. The platform must still meet technical, safety and regulatory requirements as it progresses from TRL-4 toward TRL-9. The article presents resilient navigation and propulsion as important parts of its autonomous logistics role.