After success in Operation Sindoor, Indian drone startup Raphe mPhibr raises $100 million funding: How India is becoming more Atmanirbhar in defence manufacturing
In a massive boost to indigenous aerospace manufacturing, Raphe mPhibr, a UAV manufacturing startup, has raised $100 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst. The drones manufactured by Raphe mPhibr proved to be very useful during Operation Sindoor conducted in May this year in response to a Pakistan-sponsored Islamic terror attack in Pahalgam.
So far, Raphe mPhibr has raised $145 million (over Rs 1,200 crore) in funding. This is reported to be the biggest ever fundraising by an Indian aerospace manufacturing firm.
The Noida-based startup’s CEO, Vivek Mishra, told NDTV that to beat China in drone technology and market, “a very strong ecosystem for design, development, and manufacturing” needs to be built.
Raphe mPhibr drones fired missiles at terror and military establishments in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The Noida-based company is increasing its domestic drone capabilities due to growing military interest and national security concerns, including an impending Army order.
The drones offered by the company include the mR10 operational drone swarm, the mR20 for high-altitude logistics resupply, the X8 compact platform for maritime patrol and situational awareness at sea, and the Bharat lightweight man-carried drone for quick surveillance in complex terrain.
At present, all customers of the company are Indian government entities including the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with central armed police forces such as the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The company plans to expand beyond India and enter new markets. To achieve this, it has already participated in defence air shows abroad. The company also has obtained some export licenses.
Raphe mPhibr domestically produces its flight controllers, batteries, and all components and materials required to build drone structures, including subtractive metals, thermoplastics, carbon fibre composites, wire harnesses etc. It also develops proprietary autopilots and inertial navigation systems at its facility. However, the company imports radars and high-end cameras, which it also plans to manufacture in-house within the next 18 months.
Since its conception in 2016, Raphe mPhibr has flown more than a million kilometres, provided the first operational drone swarm in history, and created India’s first in-house, cutting-edge, military-grade autopilot and lightweight internal combustion engine. Co-founded by brothers Vikash Mishra (chairman) and Vivek Mishra (CEO) in 2017, the Noida-based startup currently offers nine different drones with payloads ranging from 2 kg to 200 kg, covering a distance between 20 km to 200 km.
Notably, CEO Vivek Mishra told TechCrunch that they do not rely on China for any of the components it uses in the drones.
Taking to X, General Catalyst’s Managing Director, Neeraj Arora, announced the $100M investment and said, “I’m excited to announce our leading $100M investment in @Raphe_mPhibr, our largest commitment in India’s defense ecosystem and a key part of driving global resilience at @generalcatalyst. Vikash Mishra and Vivek Mishra combine technical expertise, focused leadership, and disciplined execution. They deeply understand the challenges facing India’s defense today and have an unwavering vision for the future. Their work is closely aligned with the Indian Armed Forces and demonstrates a firm commitment to strengthening Indian resilience.”
“India’s defense sector is entering a new chapter. Through the “Make in India” initiative, the country is placing greater focus on domestic innovation and manufacturing. Raphe is a clear example of that progress. Its cutting-edge unmanned aerial systems are already making an impact in real-world operations. At General Catalyst, we back founders tackling complex, high-stakes challenges with an endurance mindset. Raphe is helping shape the future of Indian resilience, and we are proud to partner with them on this journey,” he added.
Indigenous weaponry, Atmanirbhar and invincible Bharat: India’s pivot towards boosting domestic defence manufacturing and curbing reliance on imports
While the Modi government has been pushing for Atmanirbhar Bharat in the defence sector, after the success of Operation Sindoor, there has been a pivotal shift in defence strategy. Indian defence startups are raising significant funding. This reflects a growing investor confidence in India’s indigenous defence capabilities.
Over the last 14 years, India slashed its defence import dependency from 11 per cent to 4 per cent of global imports. This remarkable reduction is driven by the Modi government’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.
Moreover, indigenous defence production has skyrocketed 174 per cent since 2014–15. It has reached Rs 27 lakh crore ($16 billion) in FY 2023–24. India is also exporting weaponry to over 100 countries.
According to a report by Kotak Mutual Fund, India, which in 2010 was the largest importer of defence equipment, slipped to fourth place in 2024. In 2010, India accounted for 11 per cent of the world’s total defence imports, making it the top importer globally. Pakistan, with 9 per cent, Australia, at 6 per cent, and South Korea, at 5 per cent, followed suit.
Countries like Saudi Arabia, the United States, Singapore, and China each had a 4 per cent share, while Algeria and Portugal accounted for 3 per cent each. The remaining 47 per cent was shared among other countries. The report stated that this decline is the result of India’s focus on indigenisation and strengthening domestic defence manufacturing.
India’s defence exports have seen strong growth in recent years, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41 per cent since 2017. The exports have increased from Rs 15 billion in 2017 to Rs 236 billion in 2024.
India has become self-reliant in the defence sector like never before. Indian defence startups are effectively contributing to our national security as well as economic growth. Programs like Project Kusha and the SRIJAN portal, as well as increased private sector involvement from companies like Bharat Forge and Tata, among others, are strengthening this self-reliance.
Indigenous defence systems proved their mettle during Operation Sindoor
India’s Operation Sindoor demonstrated the country’s military might, tactical prowess, and technical brilliance before the world. With its integrated network of air defence systems, the Indian Armed Forces protected military bases and strategic assets, while Pakistani forces, being cowards of the top order, launched drones, missiles and rockets against Indian civilians and military assets, even as India’s precision strikes specifically targeted terror camps in initial strikes.
On the 8th of May 2025, Pakistan targeted many Indian cities, including Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, and Jaisalmer. It fired drone swarms at these cities. Pakistan wanted to harm India’s military bases and residential areas and overwhelm the air defence systems, a tactic often used by Hamas against Israel. India gave a befitting reply to this; they foiled all these attacks. India used its advanced defence systems for this. While the S-400 system purchased from Russia foiled many attacks, most of them were answered by Indian systems.
Akashteer system: India’s indigenously developed ADCRS
The Indian Armed Forces gave a befitting response to the Pakistani attack and unleashed India’s very own “Iron Dome” Akashteer Air Defence System (ADS) along with S-400 Sudarshan Chakra ADS to foil Pakistani plans of targeting Indian civilians. The Akashteer system was deployed on the western front to form an advanced shield over the International Border (IB) and LoC. This air defence system integrates inputs from radar sources like early-warning systems and ground-based radars to render a live web of real-time data to precisely track aerial threats. With the Akashteer system’s help, Indian forces intercepted and neutralised every missile launched by Pakistan towards India.
Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) /D-4 Anti-Drone systems developed by DRDO responded to Pakistani drones
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the D4 Anti-Drone Systems is an indigenously developed drone detection and neutralisation system. The Indian forces used these to thwart Pakistani drone attacks during the conflict.
The Indian Air Force used a combination of anti-aircraft guns and surface-to-air missiles along with an integrated counter-UAS grid to take down Pakistani projectiles. The integrated counter-UAS grid was used to counter unmanned aircraft systems and neutralise drones and other incoming threats like missiles launched by Pakistan.
Akash Missile System
Developed by DRDO and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), the Akash Missile System is a medium-range-surface-to-air missile system designed to intercept and destroy various aerial threats like fighter jets, drones, and cruise missiles, with a range of 25-30 km and the ability to engage the targets at the altitude of over 20 km. This system is equipped with indigenous Rajendra radar and mobile launchers. It can not only track but also neutralise multiple targets simultaneously. An effective demonstration of the same was seen in India’s counter against Pakistan’s recent drone and missile attacks against Indian cities, religious sites and military infrastructure. Akash Missile System is fully operational in the Indian Army and Air Force. It is highly mobile and can be deployed on wheeled or tracked vehicles for rapid response.
Akash system’s development has a story of its own. Last month, the former DRDO scientist Dr Prahlada Ramarao, the man who led the Akash system’s development, said that initially, the Indian Army had reservations about the system. However, Ramarao, the man chosen by none other than India’s “Missile Man”, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, went ahead and designed the Akash system.
BrahMos: The invincible
India launched its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in a live battle for the first time as it carried out pinpoint strikes on Pakistani military installations, in the wee hours of 10th May. The Indian Air Force retaliated against attempts to violate the country’s airspace by targeting a number of key facilities deep into Pakistan, including Rafiqui, Murid, Nur Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Chunian. The airfields in Skardu, Bholari, Jacobabad and Sargodha were reported to have sustained more damage. Sialkot and Pasrur radar locations were also hit. Several accounts indicate that the BrahMos missile was probably one of the weapons used in tandem with Scalp and Hammer munitions.
Jointly developed by India and Russia, this long-range supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, is an unmanned payload rocket that has a warhead, precision-guided weaponry, an aerodynamic frame, a propulsion system and a guidance system.
MRSAM Missile System
India has also used the MRSAM system in this attack. This is also a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, but it is capable of hitting a longer distance than the AKASH system. This has also been developed by DRDO. It has been made in collaboration with Israel. MRSAM consists of supersonic missiles. It is capable of hitting targets at a range of about 70 kilometres. MRSAM is currently used by the Indian Air Force and Navy. MRSAM can be mounted on trucks and is also installed on ships.
Nagastra-1 loitering munition, SkyStriker loitering munition, and Pinaka Multi-Barrel rocket launcher
The Indian Armed Forces also used the Nagastra-1 man-portable loitering munition, which is a suicide drone. Developed by Solar Industries with DRDO oversight, Nagastra-1 has a range of 15 to 20 km. It has an endurance of up to 60 minutes with a 1-2 kg warhead for precision strikes. Unlike traditional missiles, Nagastra-1 can be aborted mid-flight and recovered. In Operation Sindoor, this cost-effective loitering munition was used to target terrorist infrastructures deep inside Pakistan. Nagastra-1’s success demonstrates India’s surging expertise in low-cost, precision-guided munitions for asymmetric warfare.
The success of indigenous defence systems in Operation Sindoor opens gateways for the Indian defence sector boom
The massive success of Akash, BraMos, C-UAS and other indigenous systems gives a major boost to the Indian defence sector and bolsters confidence in the capabilities of native manufacturers to increase self-reliance in the defence arena. With indigenous defence systems outclassing Chinese and Turkish technology, as seen in Operation Sindoor, these systems would play a significant role in curbing India’s dependence on foreign suppliers. This self-reliance would not only save costs but also enhance strategic autonomy, which is at the core of India’s foreign policy under the Modi government. Indigenous systems are also vital as they are tailored to India’s unique security challenges, like asymmetric threats and high-altitude warfare.
The DRDO’s focus on developing next-generation systems like Akash-NG, BrahMos-II hypersonic missiles, among others, demonstrates that India is committed to remaining at the forefront of defence innovation. Now, besides DRDO and HAL, private firms are also emerging as gamechangers for India in the defence arena.
Earlier in June 2025, the DRDO transferred technologies related to nine crucial systems to 10 industrial units. The technologies are being transferred by the Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (VRDE), a DRDO laboratory located in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra. This move was aimed at empowering private and public sector units in defence manufacturing.
India’s firm commitment to self-reliance and smart policy initiatives has led to its burgeoning global presence in the defence industry. Defence exports have increased 30 times in the last ten years, from ₹686 crore in FY 2013–14 to an all-time high of ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24. OpIndia reported earlier how schemes like Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), Production-Linked Incentive or PLI Scheme for Drones and Drone Components, MAKE Projects, Defence Industrial Corridors, Positive Indigenisation Lists (PILs), Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), among other initiatives by the Modi government, have fostered a conducive environment for domestic defence manufacturing and curbing reliance on imports.
With India continuing to innovate and scale production, the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision in the defence arena is transforming the country into a self-reliant military powerhouse. While this journey of self-reliance is not devoid of challenges, this transition not only bolsters India’s national security but also positions the country as an emerging reliable defence exporter with sustained innovation and policy support, maintaining momentum.
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