Mumbai-based ideaForge Technology Limited has reached a significant innovation milestone, with 100 global patent applications filed and 52 of these already granted across key unmanned aerial systems technologies.

This achievement underscores the company’s evolution from an IIT-Bombay start-up into one of India’s leading original equipment manufacturers in the drone and unmanned aerial vehicle segment, with a growing global intellectual property footprint.

The scale and quality of this patent portfolio reinforce ideaForge’s positioning as a technology-driven defence and dual-use UAV player rather than a purely assembly-focused manufacturer.

Over the past several years, ideaForge has consistently expanded its research and development capabilities, building a strong in-house team that spans airframes, avionics, propulsion, software and payload integration.

This sustained R&D effort has translated into a rising number of patent filings year-on-year, reflecting both incremental improvements to existing platforms and novel concepts tailored for demanding military and enterprise missions.

Early public disclosures indicated a portfolio of a few dozen patents at the time of its IPO, but the latest figures demonstrate a rapid scaling of IP creation as product lines and export ambitions have grown.

The 100 global patent filings cover a broad spectrum of underlying technologies central to unmanned systems performance and reliability. These include proprietary autopilot systems, ground control software, power management, communications, mission planning, flight safety features and robust mechanical design concepts optimised for Indian and export operating environments.

Many of these patents focus on increasing endurance, improving autonomous capabilities, enhancing resilience against harsh weather and electromagnetic conditions, and securing datalinks for defence and critical infrastructure applications.

Of the 100 applications filed, 52 have already been granted across multiple jurisdictions, indicating not only filing activity but also a strong rate of successful prosecution before patent offices. Granted patents are an important validation of novelty and inventiveness and help build legal defensibility around ideaForge’s platforms in both domestic and overseas markets.

A substantial proportion of the portfolio sits in India, but strategic filings in other major markets support the company’s ambitions to scale exports and collaborate with global primes and systems integrators.

The company’s patent-led approach is closely linked to its vertically integrated business model, in which it designs, develops and manufactures UAVs end-to-end within its own ecosystem. This integration allows ideaForge to protect core building blocks, such as flight control stacks and key subsystems, while iterating rapidly based on operational feedback from armed forces, central police organisations and industrial users.

In turn, the IP portfolio helps the firm differentiate itself from commodity drone assemblers and underpins long-term product roadmaps that emphasise performance, reliability and compliance with stringent defence procurement norms.

Recent announcements around platforms such as the ZOLT tactical UAV have placed additional emphasis on the depth of technology that sits beneath the end products. By highlighting the milestone of 52 granted patents alongside 100 global filings, ideaForge is signalling to customers and investors that its offerings are anchored in proprietary innovation rather than generic off-the-shelf components.

This is particularly relevant in the current policy environment, where self-reliance, secure supply chains and exportable indigenous solutions are becoming central themes in India’s defence and security ecosystem.

The strengthening IP base also supports ideaForge’s potential in emerging civil and dual-use applications, including mapping, inspection, agriculture and disaster management. Many of the technologies protected through patents, such as advanced imaging, autonomy and safety features, are directly transferable between defence and commercial markets, thereby widening the addressable opportunity.

As regulatory frameworks evolve and demand for high-performance UAVs rises in both domestic and international markets, a robust patent portfolio can aid in forming partnerships, licensing arrangements and co-development programmes with larger aerospace and technology companies.

Looking ahead, the company’s innovation trajectory suggests that the absolute number of filings will continue to climb, while the proportion of granted patents should rise as pending applications mature through examination.

For stakeholders, this progression offers a useful barometer of the company’s technological depth, sustainability of competitive advantages and preparedness for future export-led growth. It also aligns with broader national objectives of building globally competitive, IP-rich defence and aerospace enterprises from India.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)