DGCA Type Certificate for KICL's KOAIR-10L Agricultural Drone: Key Facts and Exam Context

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted a Type Certificate to Kothari Industrial Corporation Limited (KICL) for its KOAIR-10L drone on 9 October 2026, according to a GKToday report dated 10 October 2026. The report says the Chennai-based company announced the certificate to the Bombay Stock Exchange the same day. As of 10 October 2026, the grant is a completed event. The KOAIR-10L is a hexacopter with a 10-litre tank, designed to spray agrochemicals on crops.

What happened and when

Event date and report date

The certificate was granted on 9 October 2026. The GKToday article carrying the news is dated 10 October 2026, a day later. For exam notes, the event date is 9 October 2026.

Key facts at a glance

What a Type Certificate means

A Type Certificate is a regulatory approval that a particular drone model conforms to the applicable requirements. It is granted to a model, not to individual flights or operators. The report says this certificate lets KICL proceed with commercial deployment within India's regulatory framework. Other approvals an operator might need are not covered in the evidence, so this post does not describe them.

About the KOAIR-10L

Design

A hexacopter is a rotary-wing aircraft with six rotors. The source describes the KOAIR-10L as a medium-class hexacopter with a 10-litre tank, built for spraying agrochemicals in agriculture.

A point to check before using the word "medium"

The Drone Rules, 2021 sort drones into categories by maximum all-up weight. The source gives no weight for the KOAIR-10L. Its "medium-class" label is therefore not tied to a verified weight, and this post does not say which statutory category the drone falls in. Exam learners should treat "medium-class" as the source's description only.

Drone Rules, 2021: weight categories

The rules use the term "Unmanned Aircraft System" for the aircraft and the associated systems used to operate it. The DGCA is India's civil aviation regulator and works under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Why it matters for exam preparation

The news links three topics that often appear together in science and technology and governance notes: drone regulation, agricultural technology and a regulator's certification role. Useful points to remember:

• Who certified: DGCA, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• What was certified: a drone model, the KOAIR-10L, made by KICL.
• Under which rules: Drone Rules, 2021.
• What it is for: spraying agrochemicals.

This is a revision aid. It does not suggest that any exam will ask about this event.

Evidence limits

• The details come from one secondary report. The BSE filing itself was not among the evidence.
• The DGCA homepage in the evidence does not mention this certificate, so the grant is not confirmed from a DGCA page here. Its "last updated" date of 10 October 2026 is a general site stamp and does not verify the certificate.
• The drone's weight, payload performance and deployment plans are not stated.

Frequently asked questions

When did the DGCA grant the certificate?

The source reports 9 October 2026, with the company's stock exchange announcement made the same day.

Which company received it?

Kothari Industrial Corporation Limited (KICL), described as Chennai-based.

What is the KOAIR-10L used for?

It is designed to spray agrochemicals in agriculture. It is a hexacopter with a 10-litre tank.