Leaders from Skylark Labs and ideaForge sign a $35M, five-year partnership agreement to scale AI-powered drone operations.
Founded in 2007 by IIT Bombay alumnus Ankit Mehta, ideaForge Technology has grown from a student startup into one of India’s most prominent drone manufacturers. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company has steadily built a reputation for producing reliable, high-performance drones designed to meet the demands of defense, law enforcement, and industrial sectors. On its website, the company explains its unique approach, stating, “ideaForge is a vertically integrated company with an in-house product development centre, allowing us to design, develop, engineer, and manufacture indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).”
ideaForge’s drones are known for their rugged design, long flight endurance, and ability to operate in difficult terrain. Among their popular platforms is the SWITCH UAV, a fixed-wing VTOL (Vertical TakeOff and Landing) drone used extensively by the Indian Armed Forces for surveillance, reconnaissance, and mapping operations. The NETRA series, another widely used model, supports rapid deployment in security and disaster response scenarios. Beyond defense, ideaForge’s drones are used for precision agriculture, infrastructure inspection, mining surveys, and border monitoring. By maintaining complete control over design and manufacturing, the company ensures its systems meet stringent operational standards across multiple applications.
© IdeaForge Switch UAV
Landmark $35 Million Global AI Partnership
Building on this strong technological foundation, ideaForge recently announced a landmark deal with Skylark Labs to advance drone capabilities on a global scale. The two companies have signed a multi-year $35 million contract to create what they describe as the world’s largest AI-powered drone ecosystem.
Skylark Labs, headquartered in San Jose, California, was founded in 2017 by Dr. Amarjot Singh. The company specializes in brain-inspired artificial intelligence that enables machines to adapt in real time to changing environments. According to its website, “AI must be physically embodied to truly drive real-world transformation, capable of sensing, adapting, and acting in ever-changing environments. In the physical world, where new conditions can break traditional AI and demand costly retraining, our adaptive physical agents, powered by brain-inspired AI, adapt instantly on-device, no training or datasets required.”
“Deploying AI licenses across ideaForge’s extensively deployed fleet proves that our adaptive AI is no longer just an innovation, it is the core operating system for the world’s fastest-growing drone fleets. This is not just a partnership, it is a market-shaping alliance.” Dr. Amarjot Singh, founder of Skylark Labs
Adaptive AI For Next-Generation Drone Fleets
Skylark Labs focuses on embedding adaptive AI directly into hardware platforms. Its technology operates without the need for cloud connectivity or extensive data pipelines, allowing drones and robots to make split-second decisions in dynamic environments. This approach is particularly relevant for large-scale drone operations where real-time processing and adaptability are essential.
Under the new agreement, Skylark Labs will deploy its adaptive AI across ideaForge’s rapidly growing global drone fleet, creating a scalable ecosystem that merges robust UAV hardware with cutting-edge artificial intelligence. The integration will enable drones to operate with higher levels of autonomy, reduce the need for remote human intervention, and deliver more actionable intelligence across a wide range of applications.
By embedding adaptive AI at the core of its platforms, ideaForge can enhance mission performance in industries such as border security, logistics, agriculture, and emergency response. For Skylark Labs, the deal provides a massive deployment base for its technology, transforming theoretical AI advancements into real-world operational systems at scale.
© Skylark Drone’s SPECTRA
Transforming Global Drone Operations
The companies have stated that the joint ecosystem will serve both defense and commercial markets, enabling fleets of drones to perform complex tasks with minimal operator input. This includes autonomous surveillance missions in contested environments, automated inspection of critical infrastructure, and rapid response during natural disasters. The ability to adapt on-device without retraining makes these systems well suited for scenarios where conditions are unpredictable or rapidly changing.
Industry observers view the agreement as a turning point in how drones are integrated into broader operational networks. By combining ideaForge’s proven UAV platforms with Skylark’s adaptive AI, the companies are laying the groundwork for the next generation of intelligent aerial systems. The scale and scope of the contract signal that AI-powered drones are moving from experimental pilots to widespread deployment.
The partnership also reflects a broader industry trend toward convergence between hardware and artificial intelligence. As drone fleets expand in size and complexity, the need for onboard intelligence capable of real-time decision-making becomes critical. The deal between ideaForge and Skylark Labs positions both companies at the forefront of this transformation, setting a precedent for future collaborations in the global drone sector.
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