Fuselage Innovations expands global reach with drone orders from UK and Canada

Drones manufactured in Kerala will soon be deployed to spray fertilisers over wheat fields in the UK. Kochi-based Fuselage Innovations, an agricultural start-up owned by siblings Devan Chandrasekharan and Devika from Cherthala in Alappuzha district has received 25 orders from the UK and Canada.

The drones will be shipped by the end of July and will be used for fertilisation and crop monitoring in wheat, barley, and canola fields.  According to Devan Chandrasekharan, the company’s managing director, orders have come from various companies and universities within the agricultural sector.

Fuselage Innovations, based in Kalamassery Maker Village, Kochi, was launched in July 2020 in partnership with the Kerala Startup Mission. The company received approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in November 2023, which enabled them to begin selling their drones.

This year, the company sold 160 ‘FIA QD10 Agricultural Drones’ across Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Each drone, with a 10-litre capacity, can precisely spray fertiliser and has a flight time of 25 minutes.

The company, which started with a Rs10 lakh loan, achieved a turnover of Rs5.5 crore rupees last year. Fuselage Innovations also has offices in Canada and the UK.

The company has also plans to manufacture interlock tiles and bricks using non-recyclable plastic, he added.