An Indian defence and aerospace startup, Raphe mPhibr, has raised $100 million in a new private funding round, which was the largest ever in India’s aerospace and defence sector. With this, the company’s total funding stands at $145 million. The money will go towards expanding aircraft design, engineering, and manufacturing facilities.
Raphe mPhibr develops UAVs, including the mR10, mR20, Bharat, and X8. Notably, the company built India’s first military-grade autopilot and lightweight internal combustion engine that was specifically designed for drones. Some of those systems are already used by the Indian defence forces, while others are close to validation for field use. With vertical integration, there are teams covering aerodynamics, thermodynamics, structural mechanics, and materials science. They also support metal processing, composites, engine design, and military-grade electronics manufacturing. They have 600 people in their employ, a portfolio of over 100 unique intellectual properties, and over 1 million kilometres of drone flight logged.
Global collaborations include major international firms like Dassault Systèmes, Hensoldt, and Safran. Strategically aligning with India’s Defence Policies, the company supports two key government initiatives aimed at self-reliance in tech and defence: Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India. In a broader context, India is expanding its private aerospace sector with the government recently transferring satellite launch tech to HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) and promoting startups through programs like iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence).
