InsideFPV Delivers 100 Combat Drones to Army in 60 Days
20 Jul 2026
InsideFPV, a Surat-based defense-tech startup founded in 2020, has delivered 100 indigenous kamikaze drones to the Indian Army within 60 days as part of a Rs 10 crore Ministry of Defence contract executed in just two months. The company also trained more than 300 personnel under the same contract.
What happened
Founded by Arth Chowdhary, Deyvant Bhardwaj and Oshi Kumari, InsideFPV builds first-person-view (FPV) drones for the Indian armed forces. Its kamikaze drones exceed speeds of 250 km/h and are engineered to operate reliably at temperatures as low as -35 degrees Celsius — conditions relevant to high-altitude deployments.
The company's recent momentum builds on a win at the Indian Army's Him Dron-a-thon, a high-altitude drone competition held in Ladakh at roughly 17,000 feet. In January 2026, InsideFPV raised Rs 6 crore in a pre-Series A round led by GVFL, adding to prior backing from Mumbai Angels, Inflection Point Ventures, Soonicorn Ventures and DLabs.
InsideFPV states it has been profitable since its first year, though the report does not disclose specific revenue or margin figures behind that claim. The company is now setting up a 20,000 sq ft facility to scale production from hundreds to thousands of drones, and it has signed an agreement with an Israel-based drone firm — though the terms and scope of that partnership are not detailed.
Timeline
- 2020: InsideFPV founded in Surat.
- January 2026: Raised Rs 6 crore in a pre-Series A round led by GVFL.
- April 2026: Executed the Rs 10 crore MoD contract within two months, delivering 100 drones to the Army in 60 days and training 300+ personnel.
Why founders should care
InsideFPV's trajectory suggests several patterns that may be relevant to early-stage founders, particularly in deep-tech and defense sectors:
- Rapid contract fulfillment — 100 drones in 60 days — may indicate that lean manufacturing models can compete effectively even within traditionally slow-moving defence procurement cycles.
- A claim of profitability since year one could signal that niche hardware startups are able to achieve early financial sustainability without requiring heavy upfront capital, though the underlying metrics remain undisclosed.
- Backing from a strategic VC (GVFL) alongside multiple angel networks may point to growing investor appetite for indigenous defence-tech ventures.
- The decision to scale infrastructure (a new 20,000 sq ft facility) ahead of confirmed large-scale orders could reflect a founder bet on anticipated demand — a strategy that carries both upside and execution risk.
Risks and open questions
The report flags several risk factors worth watching. Heavy reliance on a single Rs 10 crore MoD contract could point to revenue concentration risk. Scaling from hundreds to thousands of drones via the new facility may carry execution and capital risk during rapid expansion. The partnership with the Israel-based drone firm could introduce exposure to geopolitical or export-control complexities, and operating in the defense sector generally means navigating long procurement cycles and regulatory dependency.
Several details remain undisclosed: the total value or scope of orders beyond the initial Rs 10 crore contract, the specific terms of the Israel-based agreement, InsideFPV's post-raise valuation, its current headcount or production capacity ahead of the new facility, whether its drones carry specific defence procurement certifications, and how its competitive landscape in the indigenous FPV drone space is structured.
Bottom line
InsideFPV's rapid delivery of combat drones to the Indian Army, paired with fresh pre-Series A funding and plans to scale manufacturing tenfold, positions it as a notable case study in indigenous defence-tech execution. Whether the company can convert a single large contract and early recognition — including a founder's Shark Tank India appearance and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia listing — into sustained, diversified defence business remains an open question founders in the space should track.