The Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, has approved ₹285 crore in financial support to Ubifly Technologies Private Limited, Chennai, under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. This support is part of India's push to build a globally competitive, private-sector-led deep-tech ecosystem and will be provided through Optionally Convertible Debentures (OCD).
The funding supports Ubifly's indigenous ePlane Advanced Air Mobility Solution, with a total approved project cost of ₹570 crore. The project aims to advance the technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to TRL 9, representing a significant step toward commercial deployment of an indigenous advanced air mobility platform.
The e200X aircraft being developed is a three-seater, zero-emission advanced air mobility aircraft configured for one pilot and two passengers. It features a targeted range of 110 km and an ideal speed of 160 kmph. The aircraft incorporates multiple indigenous technology elements including vertical rotors, forward propellers, proprietary flight-control algorithms, power-distribution controllers, and battery-pack modules with integrated cooling systems. The company has designed the complete airframe, including fuselage, wings, and booms, in-house.
A notable feature is the landing gear designed for both conventional and vertical landing, offering operational flexibility for advanced air mobility applications. The compact architecture enables operations from relatively small spaces and facilitates multiple trips on a single battery charge. The project is categorized under Deep Technology with Space Technologies as the sub-sector.
Sh. Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB, stated that the RDI Fund represents a significant shift toward enabling private-sector participation in high-impact technology development and taking innovations closer to deployment. A representative of Ubifly Technologies noted that TDB's support will provide important impetus to the continued development and validation of their ePlane technology.