Apollo Micro Systems gets 15-year licence from DPIIT to manufacture defence aircraft equipment

Apollo Micro Systems Ltd. on Tuesday, December 2, said it has obtained a 15-year manufacturing licence from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to produce defence aircraft equipment for unmanned helicopters activity, which includes unmanned aerial systems.

The licence will clear the way for the Hyderabad-based defence electronics firm to expand into advanced unmanned aerial systems (UAS), inertial navigation systems (INS) and complete radar equipment, significantly expanding the company’s portfolio in high-value defence technologies.

In a regulatory filing, Apollo Micro Systems said the the licence covers manufacturing under two defence categories - Defence Aircraft and Allied Defence Equipment.

The approval is a mandatory requirement for participating in the ongoing and upcoming procurement programmes of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Apollo Micro Systems is currently developing multiple UAS platforms, including logistics and delivery UAVs as well as offensive and attack-class unmanned systems, which are expected to enter field trials over the next two quarters, the filing said. The licence also strengthens the company's roadmap in unmanned helicopters, a niche UAV segment.

The licence for navigation systems enables Apollo Micro Systems to build advanced solutions across MEMS-based INS, Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) systems and Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) technologies.

To support this work, the company said, it has begun procuring critical test and calibration equipment and is collaborating with domestic and global partners for subsystem development and integration.

The approval, dated December 1, 2025 additionally allows the company to manufacture full radar systems, including transmit–receive modules, antennas, signal processors and allied radar subsystems, which form key components of modern surveillance and targeting platforms.

Apollo Micro Systems said the DPIIT licence strengthens its ability to scale production in strategic defence categories and enhances its positioning within India’s growing indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem.

Last week, the company signed an MOU with IIT-Chennai and the Indian Navy to accelerate indigenous defence technology development by addressing and solving the present and future problem statements of the Armed Forces.

According to the agreement, Apollo Micro Systems will act as the technology development and manufacturing partner, converting laboratory-scale research into battlefield-ready products.

The defence equipment manufacturer reported a strong performance in the July–September quarter, with net profit surging 98.15% year-on-year to ₹31.11 crore, compared to ₹15.7 crore in the same period last year.

It’s revenue grew 40.2% to ₹225.3 crore, while EBITDA rose 82.7% to ₹59.59 crore, driving margins higher to 26.45% from 20.29% last year.

In October, the company announced that it had secured cumulative orders on worth ₹18.43 crore from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), various defence public sector undertakings, and private firms.

Shares of Apollo Micro Systems Ltd are down from the day's high of ₹276.5 and are trading at ₹271.50 as off 11:11 am. The stock has surged over 168.5% this year.

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