Aircraft’s landing gear designed for both conventional and vertical landing, notes DST
India’s push to build a globally competitive, private-sector-led deep-tech ecosystem is gaining momentum with the Technology Development Board (TDB), Department of Science & Technology (DST), approving Rs.285 crore financial support to Ubifly Technologies Private Limited, Chennai, under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund for advancing its indigenous ePlane Advanced Air Mobility Solution.
The project, with a total approved cost of Rs.570 crore, will take the technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to TRL 9, marking a significant step towards the commercial deployment of an indigenous advanced air mobility platform. The TDB support will be provided through Optionally Convertible Debentures (OCD), the Ministry of Science & Technology said on 23 Sept.
The e200X, being developed by Ubifly Technologies, is a three-seater, zero-emission advanced air mobility aircraft configured for one pilot and two passengers, with a targeted range of 110 km and an ideal speed of 160 kmph. The aircraft brings together 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 also designed the complete airframe, including the fuselage, wings and booms, in-house.
A notable feature of the aircraft is its landing gear designed for both conventional and vertical landing, offering operational flexibility for advanced air mobility applications. Its compact architecture is intended to enable operations from relatively small spaces and facilitate multiple trips on a single battery charge. The project is categorised under Deep Technology, with Space Technologies as the sub-sector. Its advancement from TRL-6 to TRL-9 will involve further technology maturation, testing, validation and scale-up towards an operationally demonstrated system.
TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said, “The RDI Fund represents a significant shift towards enabling private-sector participation in the development of high-impact technologies and taking promising innovations closer to deployment. TDB’s support to Ubilfy Technologies reflects the Government of India’s commitment to strengthening indigenous capabilities in deep technologies and creating pathways for Indian technologies to move from advanced development to commercialisation. The ePlane project brings together advanced electric propulsion, aerospace engineering and intelligent systems.
A Representative of Ubifly Technologies Private Limited said, “The support extended by TDB under the RDI Fund will provide important impetus to the continued development and validation of our ePlane technology. Taking the e200X from TRL-6 towards TRL-9 requires sustained investment in engineering, testing and technology maturation. We appreciate TDB’s support in enabling this transition and in strengthening indigenous advanced air mobility capabilities in India.” Fiinews.com
