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Raphe mPhibr raises $100 million in landmark defence drone funding round

In a major boost to India's indigenous defence tech sector, drone manufacturer Raphe mPhibr has secured $100 million in fresh funding, marking the largest private fundraise in the country's drone industry to date, The Times of India reported. The round was led by General Catalyst, with participation from Think Investments, Amal Parikh, and several family offices. With this, the total capital raised by the company has reached $145 million. Drones made by Raphe mPhibr were deployed during the recent Operation Sindoor in May. The new funding will be used to scale up Raphe mPhibr's end-to-end capabilities in aircraft design, engineering, and production. The company plans to enhance its facilities to better meet India's growing demand for homegrown aerospace technologies, the news report said. 'This funding is more than an investment; it is a commitment to build in India what the country can no longer afford to import,' the company said in a statement, aligning its mission with the government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives. Raphe mPhibr's product lineup: From drone swarms to maritime reconnaissance Founded in 2016, Raphe mPhibr offers a wide range of defence-grade UAVs: -mR10: A drone swarm platform for coordinated missions -mR20: Designed for high-altitude logistics delivery -Bharat Drone: A man-portable surveillance solution -X8: Built for maritime patrol and reconnaissance Raphe mPhibr was established by Vikash Mishra and Vivek Mishra, two technologists with deep roots in aerospace and engineering. Vikash is an MIT-trained aerospace engineer with past experience at Idaho National Laboratory and CERN, while Vivek holds a PhD from Georgia Tech and has worked extensively in bio-inspired algorithms and sensor networks. Expanding India's indigenous defence ecosystem The company operates a comprehensive aerospace manufacturing campus, staffed by over 600 employees and housing specialised departments in aerodynamics, structural mechanics, thermodynamics, materials science, and electronics. It claims to have logged over one million km of flight across its platforms and developed more than 100 unique intellectual properties. Its manufacturing capabilities include facilities for metal processing, composite materials, engine development, and military-grade electronics, enabling it to build equipment that performs in extreme conditions — ranging from deserts to high-altitude mountains and marine environments.