Jakarta, INTI - Advances in drone technology are creating new opportunities for Indonesia to address challenges across its vast archipelago. With its expansive geography and increasingly complex monitoring needs, drones are no longer viewed merely as flying devices but as part of integrated technological systems that can support national development. In response, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is encouraging drone research to generate innovations that can be developed into products for Indonesia’s domestic industry.
Gunawan S. Prabowo, Principal Researcher at BRIN’s Aeronautics Technology Research Center, said Indonesia’s geographical characteristics offer significant opportunities for drone technology development. Potential applications include environmental monitoring, food security, infrastructure inspection, disaster mitigation, maritime security, and spatial data management. He made the remarks during the 19th Researcher Class, titled “Building a Drone Product Ecosystem Through Impactful Research,” held online on August 19, 2026.
BRIN Promotes Integrated Drone Technology Development
According to BRIN, drone development needs to adopt a comprehensive systems approach. Innovation should go beyond aircraft design to include payloads, electronics and avionics, communication systems, software, data processing, and ground support systems. Key technical areas that require further development include aerodynamics, flight endurance and range, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) technology, navigation, control systems, communications, and energy management.
User-driven development is considered essential to ensure that research produces tangible results. The process can begin with identifying specific challenges, followed by consortium formation, technology development and testing, implementation, and market expansion.
Collaboration and Industrialization Key to Drone Industry Growth
Within this framework, collaboration among government institutions, BRIN, universities, industry players, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, research institutions, and international partners is considered crucial. Cooperation can include joint research, technology validation, technology transfer, intellectual property licensing, and commercialization.
The development paradigm for drones is also shifting from simply producing aircraft toward creating integrated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solutions. These technologies can be applied to cargo drones, precision mapping, spatial governance, smart agriculture, maritime surveillance, infrastructure inspection, and disaster mitigation.
BRIN also emphasizes the need to strengthen testing and certification facilities to improve technology readiness while ensuring product safety and reliability. Priority research areas include autonomous systems, intelligent and digital sensing, mission-based applications, as well as strengthening the innovation and industrialization ecosystem.
One initiative introduced by BRIN is Precision Village Governance for Indonesia. The project uses drones to generate high-precision spatial data to support development planning and decision-making at the village level.
Strengthening Indonesia’s domestic drone industry will depend not only on the ability to develop advanced technologies but also on successfully connecting research with user needs and ensuring that industry has the capacity to manufacture these solutions. A stronger ecosystem is expected to improve efficiency, productivity, and workforce capabilities while enhancing Indonesia’s technological competitiveness and sovereignty.
Conclusion
BRIN’s efforts to advance drone research highlight the growing role of UAV technology in addressing Indonesia’s geographic and development challenges. By connecting research, industry, government, and users, Indonesia can accelerate the commercialization of drone innovations while strengthening domestic capabilities. A collaborative and integrated ecosystem will be essential to build a competitive and self-reliant national drone industry.
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