New Delhi: Ankit Mehta, CEO of  drone major ideaForge has said that India's drone industry has grown ‘significantly’ in the past ten years. Mehta highlighted that this growth, particularly occurred after COVID-19. IdeaForge, the company he leads, is now bringing its drones to the US market. 

They're doing this because people in the United States are hesitant to buy drones from China, Mehta said during an interview with PTI. Mehta also mentioned during his interview that the Indian government has facilitated this growth.

“The Indian drone industry has leapfrogged in the last 10 years with an enabling environment from the Indian government,” Mehta said.

IdeaForge is ranked fifth globally for making drones that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

India's drone industry has "leapfrogged" in the last 10 years, gaining pace after the COVID-19 pandemic, Mehta said. Indian drone manufacturing company IdeaForge, ranked fifth globally in the dual-use category of civil and defence, is entering the American drone market at a time when there is a reluctance to buy or acquire those made in China. 

Mehta said the sector gained pace after the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think before the pandemic, the rules and regulations around drones were fairly stringent, and they did not allow a lot of flexibility in terms of use and deployment," Mehta said. Powered By "But since the pandemic, the floodgates, in a way, have opened the adoption of technology, which has become wholehearted. 

Now people want to deploy drones for as many use cases as possible," he said. Drones had very restrictive regulations earlier, he said. "Now those regulations have become a little bit more relaxed in terms of allowing the use of drones under a regulated environment, which is conducive for operations, Mehta added. 

Shares of drone manufacturer IdeaForge jumped nearly 8 per cent to Rs 786 during the intraday trading on the BSE on Friday (February 23) after reports that the startup is set to enter the US market.

(With PTI inputs)