Mumbai-based drone manufacturer ideaForge has achieved a major milestone as its SWITCH Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) received Type Certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This certification clears the military-grade drone for use across civil, paramilitary, police, and enterprise applications under India’s Drone Rules 2021.

The SWITCH UAV, already deployed in defence operations for counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, is now poised to play a transformative role in sectors like infrastructure monitoring, mining, policing, disaster response, and environmental studies.

Designed with hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability, the platform supports extended missions even in challenging terrains and night-time conditions. Previously recognised as Fit for Indian Military Use by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) and assigned a NATO Stock Number, SWITCH is proven to meet stringent global standards.

“We are proud that our SWITCH UAV has been granted DGCA Type Certification. This achievement underscores our commitment to developing world-class UAVs that are safe, reliable, and future-ready,” said Rahul Singh, VP of Engineering and Co-founder at ideaForge.

The certification further consolidates ideaForge’s position as one of the few Indian companies with multiple DGCA-approved UAV platforms. Alongside partnerships with Resonia for power sector applications and Vantage Robotics (USA) for advanced ISR solutions, ideaForge is strengthening India’s civil drone ecosystem while establishing itself as a global UAV innovation leader.