Optiemus launches indigenous agricultural drones and mapping applications

Optiemus Unmanned Systems, a subsidiary of Optiemus Infracom Limited, a leading telecommunications and electronics manufacturing company in India, launched its range of drones in agricultural and mapping category, which will be powered by components designed and manufactured in India. The innovative and competitively priced portfolio of drones are being showcased at the ongoing 5th Drone. International Expo at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Optiemus Unmanned Systems will be adopting a ‘Drone as a Service’ strategy to reach out to target markets and will be training around 6000 pilots to manage a fleet of 5000 drones by the end of 2025. Optiemus Infracom will be investing around INR 140 Crore in this project and targeting a service revenue of around INR 600 to INR 900 crores by the end of calendar year 2025.

The main goal for OUS is to align with Honorable Prime minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s vision of ″Make in India″ and contribute towards the prosperity of farmers who are the backbone of the country. With this focus, OUS will develop drones with indigenous parts. The company targets to achieve a minimum of 65% indigenization and plans to increase this target up to 75% by the end of this financial year. OUS has already successfully localized various components including power distribution board, anti-spark switch, flight controller, airframe, and motor. To support the farmers, OUS endeavors to launch these drones to be used in precision farming and spraying at affordable prices. The pricing strategy will enable mass level deployment and adoption of drones, across India. The initiative is expected to help the farmers improve their farmland productivity and yield while reducing their input costs which will lead to an increase in their incomes.

After-sales service and support will be another key focus of OUS' to ensure that operations are run smoothly. To support this, OUS will have a set of drones and drone components on standby and also a team with the relevant technical and operational qualifications.

The Agri Shakti 10L is an agricultural drone that can fly for up to 15 minutes at maximum capacity and supports a 10-liter spray tank capable of spraying 1 acre in approximately 7 minutes.

In order to support and contribute towards Honorable Prime minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s vision of supporting the farmers of the country, OUS is launching the Agri Shakti 10L at a starting price of 2.25 lakhs plus GST.

The Vajra QC P20 is a precision agriculture and mapping drone which weighs about 2 kg and boasts a flight duration of 30+ minutes. The drone has a maximum range of 4 km with a survey area of 0.5 to 1 sq. km. The Vajra QC P20 can perform a wide array of tasks in precision agriculture i.e., optimizing crop health, yields, leading to sustainable farming. The drone is also ideal for mapping farmlands for the Insurance industry to access damage to the crop in event of natural calamities.

With the help of the above drones, OUS will be offering services focused on precision agriculture, pesticides/fertilizer spraying. The drone-based service will utilize a hub and spoke model to bring efficiency, cost-effectiveness and speed to agricultural practices in India. OUS is actively engaging with multiple National and State-run co-operative societies, Government Organizations and Agricultural Universities.

Mr. Ashok Kumar Gupta, Chairman, Optiemus Infracom Limited, said, ″We have decided to march on a unique business model for our drone business and this is based on our ground-level research, which called out issues like lack of know-how on operating drones, scarcity of spare parts etc. The potential for this business is huge given the benefits it serves; we are set to leverage our expertise in drone technology to offer a cost-effective and efficient solution for agricultural and defence needs. It is our effort to revolutionize traditional farming practices and enhance crop yields while promoting sustainability and environmental stewardship. We have already got a portfolio of military grade drones and have started selling our drones to India’s defense and paramilitary forces″.