ideaForge unveils ZOLT UCAV, ZOLT Hybrid. What do these drones bring to the battlefield?

ideaForge Technology Limited, which has India’s largest operational deployment of indigenous UAVs, expanded its tactical UAV portfolio with two variants of its ZOLT platform, each aimed at a different set of missions. The ZOLT Hybrid is for long-range surveillance and persistent overwatch, while the ZOLT UCAV is for tactical missions and precision effects.

The launches mark the company's entry into the Long-Range Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) segments.

The two platforms differ primarily in their propulsion, endurance, reach and intended missions. The ZOLT UCAV runs on battery power, while the ZOLT Hybrid combines an internal combustion engine and battery power to remain airborne for longer periods.

ZOLT UCAV

The ZOLT UCAV is designed primarily for tactical missions and precision effects. It offers an endurance of two to three hours and a Line of Sight (LOS) transmission range of 30-50 km. The UCAV can be launched at altitudes of up to 4,500 metres Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL), allowing it to operate across demanding terrain and altitude conditions.

The platform combines surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities alongside its precision-effects role, allowing it to contribute more directly to tactical missions, the company stated.

ZOLT Hybrid

The ZOLT Hybrid, meanwhile, is designed for extended missions and persistent overwatch. Its hybrid propulsion gives it an endurance of more than six hours, significantly longer than the UCAV variant. It also offers LOS transmission of up to 100 km and can be launched at altitudes of up to 2,000 metres AMSL.

These capabilities allow the Hybrid variant to undertake long-range surveillance and remain over an area for extended periods.

ideaForge is also preparing a high-altitude variant based on the ZOLT Hybrid. This version is intended for operations in contested terrain and will have a launch-altitude capability of up to 4,000 metres AMSL.

The uses

Across its configurations, the ZOLT platform can perform several military missions, including border and frontier surveillance, tactical reconnaissance, target acquisition and day-and-night long-range surveillance, the company said.

It can also provide battlefield and fire-support intelligence, including Direction of Own Artillery Fire (DOOAF).

The platform can carry ideaForge's NAKSH family of ISR payloads, enabling electro-optical, infrared and Mid-Wave Infrared observation, laser ranging and tracking.

ZOLT is designed for day-and-night missions across different terrains, environmental conditions and altitudes, including operations in electronic warfare-contested environments.

At the heart of both variants is ideaForge's indigenous EW-resilient technology stack. It incorporates anti-jam communications, GNSS-denied navigation and onboard intelligence to help the UAVs maintain communication and navigation when signals are degraded, disrupted or denied.

Onboard processing also enables decision-making at the edge, reducing reliance on continuous data links.

Sachin Pukale, AGM of product management at ideaForge, said the tactical long-range UAV segment is moving beyond platforms that primarily observe the battlefield towards systems capable of contributing more directly to missions.

According to Pukale, the ZOLT Hybrid and ZOLT UCAV address different tactical requirements while retaining a common platform architecture, allowing users to balance endurance, reach and mission requirements.