Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace (FWDA) is leading India’s push toward self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the visionary leadership of Suhas Tejaskanda. In this exclusive interview with Machine Edge Global, Suhas discusses FWDA’s milestones, including achieving 92% indigenization in UAV components and unveiling India’s first indigenous unmanned bomber aircraft. He also shares insights on overcoming industry challenges, the impact of DGCA certification, and his mission to establish India as a global hub for advanced defence systems.
With 85% of your components manufactured indigenously, how do you ensure the quality and precision needed for defence applications?
We have recently achieved significant technological advancements, including our transition to graphene-based batteries for BLDC motors, replacing traditional batteries to improve efficiency, reduce size, and enhance performance. Additionally, we have adopted electrical propulsion systems, further reducing dependency on fuel driven engines. With these upgrades we are now manufacturing 92% of unmanned aircrafts components indigenously.
To maintain quality and precision, we have implemented a 12-point, end-to-end testing process guided by the six Sigma methodology, in our manufacturing unit. The state-of-the-art facility has NABL accredited testing labs which conducts about 150 tests for aerospace components like Extreme Condition Tests, chemical Composition Analysis and Legislative Compliance, ensuring all DGCA and ICAO requirements are met while meeting JSS specifications for defence based applications. Every component and raw material undergoes rigorous quality checks by a dedicated QA team before integration. Post-manufacturing, components are subjected to additional certifications to validate aerospace-grade reliability.
Our commitment to meet the global standards is forfeited by our team inclusive of top industry brains from DRDO, IITs, and global aerospace entities, ensuring our products exceed industry expectations on every step.
FWDA has achieved India’s first DGCA Type Certification for indigenous UAV technology. What does this milestone mean for your company and India’s defence sector?
Achieving the DGCA Type Certification for our indigenous UAV technology is a landmark achievement not only for us but for the whole nation. As it highlights our commitment to airworthiness, operational reliability, and self-reliance. This certificate demonstrates our capability as a nation to manufacture unmanned aircraft on our home soil. Right from the design of the UAV to the making of most of the sub-components, including propulsion systems, for the first time ever, and even today, we are the only company that made it possible.
A proud moment for all of us as this achievement brings us one step closer to our vision of making India a global hub of unmanned aircraft manufacturing. As a company we take a lot of pride in it as we were able to establish this and reduce our dependency on various other countries while enhancing the nation’s strategic autonomy.
Your company unveiled India’s first indigenous unmanned bomber aircraft. Could you share the journey of its development, and the challenges faced in bringing this innovation to life?
The journey of unveiling India’s first indigenous unmanned bomber aircraft has been marked by immense challenges, perseverance and ultimately rewarding. Transitioning from rotorcraft to fixed-wing platforms like Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) aircraft and eventually to High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) and combat drones required a significant shift in technology and mindset.
In terms of challenges, we have to first understand how Indian Aerospace system works. In India, most UAV subsystems like propulsion, navigation, and radars were not manufactured locally. The industry primarily relied on semi-knockdown or completely imported kits. For example, aircraft such as Tejas faced delays due to the unavailability of locally developed engines, highlighting India’s dependency on foreign suppliers. Many Indian companies operated as system integrators, assembling imported components. This dependency hindered the development of fully indigenous solutions.
Furthermore, given the current warfare evolving towards unmanned and AI-based systems, it became critical to eliminate reliance on foreign SATCOM antennas and navigation systems, which posed risks of external control and data leaks.
In order to make India’s dream of its own unmanned bomber aircraft a realty, the team worked tirelessly, under tight schedules, dedicating 120-140 hours a week for months to achieve the first successful flight. FWB 200 B, boasts over 92% indigenous content, reducing dependency on foreign components and establishing India’s capability to manufacture critical subsystems, including propulsion systems. After rigorous efforts, the unmanned bomber aircraft completed its first successful flight and is now fully operational, with limited series editions set to be showcased at Aero India 2025.
This development, demonstrates India’s capacity for self-reliance in defense, advancing our national security and reducing dependence on external suppliers. It also underscores the importance of domestic manufacturing in meeting the dynamic needs of modern warfare.
As a 35 Under 35 Entrepreneur and recipient of multiple prestigious awards, how has your journey shaped your vision for FWDA?
Giving you a little background, Me and my co-founder Prajwal Bhat have had spent a significant amount of time on the Indo-China border, collaborating closely with various forces including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Sikkim Police, the Arunachal Pradesh Police, and numerous battalions of the Indian Army. Our exposure to the operational challenges in these areas fuelled our commitment to advancing net-centric warfare systems, which represent the future of military engagements. We believe the future of warfare is unmanned, starting with the integration of drones. In this, I have designed a few algorithms to carry out this and have achieved patents in futuristic warfare systems. One of the key verticals for these unmanned systems are drones.
While these accolades are really humbling, they reinforce my commitment to India’s technological supremacy in defence and aerospace. India needs to develop rapidly in the defence and aerospace sector, given the global sentiment around warfare solutions.
My journey has been shaped by a singular vision of making India a global hub of unmanned aircraft manufacturing and advancing our unmanned defence warfare technologies. These achievements drive our collective mission to develop advanced, self-reliant solutions that prioritize the nation’s progress and security.
What are the biggest challenges you see in scaling up India’s indigenous drone manufacturing industry?
Some of the biggest challenges include, China dumping and low-quality imports. The influx of these inexpensive drones from China undermines India’s indigenous manufacturing efforts. These imports are primarily civilian-grade and unsuitable for military applications, yet they are frequently used for purposes beyond their intended capabilities. The low-quality imports discourage domestic manufacturers from investing in research and development (R&D) due to reduced demand for higher-quality indigenous products.
Ineffective Regulatory Frameworks is another challenge where many regulatory policies remain at the framework stage without full implementation. This lack of clear direction hampers growth and deters innovation. Ambiguities in policy discourage long-term commitments from private and public stakeholders. There is also a lack of ecosystem encouragement. A thriving ecosystem requires synchronized efforts from investors, industry players, government bodies, and the armed forces. Minimal encouragement from these stakeholders leaves startups and R&D-focused companies at a disadvantage compared to those relying on quick imports and assembly.
We are in a dire need of a mindset shift to prioritize long-term innovation over short-term cost benefits. The government’s limited funding for R&D compared to global counterparts spending about $8.9 billion on the research reflects our focus on immediate gains rather than sustainable technological advancement. So, the mindset has to change.
For India to scale its indigenous drone industry effectively, we must, increase government funding for R&D, as it is the most important part of any development. And in defence and aerospace it is the most important investment too. We need to implement and enforce regulatory frameworks swiftly while fostering a culture of innovation with support from all ecosystem stakeholders. We also have to address the economic disparity caused by low-cost imports through stricter quality regulations and incentives for local production.
Do you foresee collaborations with global players or Indian defence forces to further innovation and deployment?
Certainly. We are actively exploring partnerships with global aerospace leaders to leverage cutting-edge technologies and scale operations. Domestically, the Indian defense forces’ interest in our UAVs highlights the potential for collaborative deployments. Our expansion plans include regions like Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia which strengthens India’s case as a global defense manufacturing center.