Drogo Aerospace’s JK 250e fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle has received type certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, marking a regulatory milestone for the Hyderabad-based defence technology company.
The certification is expected to support UAV operator training and the development of indigenous training capabilities, Drogo Aerospace said. The company had earlier this year delivered JK 250e UAVs to the Indian Army.
The JK 250e is designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements of the Indian armed forces. Its hybrid configuration combines the flight efficiency of a fixed-wing aircraft with the vertical take-off and landing capability of a multirotor UAV.
This allows the platform to operate without a conventional runway, an important feature for deployments in field conditions where prepared take-off and landing infrastructure may not be available. According to the company, the UAV has an endurance of two to three hours and is designed for sustained surveillance and situational awareness.
Drogo Aerospace said the latest certification takes the number of its certified platforms to six. The company described the JK 250e as the only UAV in India with a hybrid fixed-wing and multirotor configuration to receive DGCA type certification for training purposes.
The certification was announced by company founder and chief executive officer Yeshwanth Bonthu in a release. While the platform has been developed for defence-related ISR applications, the certification specifically supports its use for training, creating a formal regulatory basis for operator preparation and related capability development.
For India’s growing indigenous UAV sector, certification remains an important step between developing a platform and deploying it through structured training and institutional procurement systems. In the case of the JK 250e, the approval comes alongside the company’s earlier delivery of the aircraft to the Indian Army, linking the platform’s certification with an existing defence user.
The platform’s fixed-wing and multirotor design reflects two operational requirements: longer flight efficiency associated with fixed-wing aircraft and the ability to take off and land vertically in locations without conventional runways. Drogo said this combination is intended to support surveillance operations in challenging field conditions.
The company has not disclosed in the supplied announcement the number of aircraft covered by the certification, the value of its Army delivery, or a separate timeline for future procurement or training deployments. The next stated significance of the approval is its expected use in UAV operator training and in building indigenous training capabilities.
