KUALA LUMPUR: The government is hoping to turn Malaysia’s drone sector into a RM50.7bil industry by expanding the use of the technology across public services, says the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
The Ministry said it aims to do this through its Malaysia Drone Technology Action Plan 2022–2030 (MDTAP30) that turns Malaysia into a developer of local drone technology.
“This is also expected to create 100,000 high-value job opportunities by 2030,” the Ministry said in a parliamentary written reply dated Monday (July 13).
It said the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) will provide regulatory facilitation and testing grants for local drone developers.
"This includes collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and Malaysian Survey and Mapping Department (Jupem) to provide special approvals or permit relaxations to test drone solutions in real environments.
“NTIS will also help in the provision of testing grants and fund matching via the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC),” it said.
The ministry noted that drone technology is already being deployed across several government sectors such as disaster response, agriculture, defence, healthcare, municipal management and security.
It said the Special Drone Emergency Response Team, comprising Malaysia’s emergency services, currently uses drones for disaster monitoring and search-and-rescue operations.
It said the Health Ministry is piloting autonomous drones to deliver critical medical supplies to remote and hard-to-reach communities.
The ministry added that the Malaysia Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) currently operates an AI-powered Drone-in-a-Box system that conducts round-the-clock security patrols and intrusion detection at MRANTI Park and Area57
The Ministry was responding to Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad (PN-Kepala Batas), who sought updates on the government’s current drone policies and agency adoption.
