The Technology Development Board (TDB), Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India has approved ₹285 crore 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 the advancement of Ubifly's indigenous ePlane Advanced Air Mobility Solution from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to TRL 9, representing a significant step towards commercial deployment. The total approved project cost is ₹570 crore, with the TDB contribution covering half of this amount.
The e200X aircraft being developed is a three-seater, zero-emission advanced air mobility aircraft configured for one pilot and two passengers. It has 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 towards enabling private-sector participation in high-impact technology development and taking innovations closer to deployment. This reflects the Government of India's commitment to strengthening indigenous capabilities in deep technologies. A representative of Ubifly Technologies acknowledged that TDB's support will provide important impetus to continued development and validation of their ePlane technology, enabling the transition from TRL-6 to TRL-9 through sustained investment in engineering, testing and technology maturation.