In a significant milestone for India's rapidly growing drone technology sector, Agniforge, a homegrown tech company based in India, has announced the upcoming production of its indigenous drone transmitter and receiver system, Link RC. Developed as a fully Made-in-India solution, Link RC has been positioned as a direct contribution to the country's Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) mission.
The device is designed to provide a range of up to 2 kilometers and is priced at ₹7,500 per unit, inclusive of telemetry software — a competitive rate considering the imported alternatives in the market. Pre-bookings for Link RC are currently open, and full-scale production is scheduled to begin from April 25, 2025.
“Our vision with Link RC was to build something that reflects the capabilities of Indian engineering — efficient, affordable, and entirely indigenous,” said Durgesh Nandan, Founder of Agniforge. “This project is not just a product launch for us, it's a declaration that Indian technology is ready to compete globally without relying on foreign systems.”
Filling a Critical Gap
Link RC comes at a time when India is making active efforts to localize drone manufacturing. While India has made significant progress in drone frame design, assembly, and use-case development in sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, and defense, one of the persistent challenges has been the reliance on foreign-made telemetry and communication systems. These systems are not only costly but also raise concerns over data privacy, long-term serviceability, and geopolitical dependency.
With Link RC, Agniforge aims to address this exact gap by offering a locally developed solution that can be deployed in a wide range of commercial and industrial drone operations. The product supports secure, low-latency communication between ground stations and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which is essential for real-time control and monitoring.
Push for Self-Reliance
The development of Link RC is aligned with India's broader technological roadmap under Atmanirbhar Bharat, a national campaign that emphasizes self-reliance in key sectors, including defense, electronics, and aviation. Over the past few years, India has placed increasing focus on boosting its domestic drone ecosystem — including banning the import of foreign drones (except for R&D and defense) and launching production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes to support Indian manufacturers.
By developing a crucial subsystem like the transmitter-receiver in-house, Agniforge is contributing to India’s ambition of not just assembling drones, but actually innovating at the component level.
Built for Real-World Use
Agniforge has stated that each unit of Link RC will be rigorously tested before delivery, and customers will receive telemetry software bundled with every unit — enabling operators to visualize and monitor drone data without needing additional third-party tools. The company also offers a 10-day lead time for orders, with a minimum order quantity of 5 units. In case of any performance-related issues, a full refund policy has been assured.
“We understand the critical nature of drone operations, whether it’s a crop survey in a remote village or an inspection of a power line,” added Durgesh Nandan. “That’s why we’ve put reliability and usability at the forefront of Link RC’s design.”
An Eye on the Future
Though still early in its production phase, the unveiling of Link RC has attracted attention from drone service providers and OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) across India. Agniforge has also opened invitations for distributors, offering collaboration opportunities to companies and individuals interested in representing the Link RC product line regionally.
Experts believe that initiatives like this could mark a turning point for India’s UAV industry, as more companies step in to develop alternatives to imported drone electronics. If adopted at scale, such components could drastically reduce the cost of drones in India and improve national control over drone-related data.
As India's skies become increasingly populated with drones in agriculture, infrastructure, defense, disaster relief, and logistics, the success of indigenous solutions like Link RC could be crucial for ensuring operational independence, cost efficiency, and long-term growth of the sector.
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