Drones & accessories — International
FPT and NARMA adapt the tiltrotor AF100 to the Vietnamese market
The AF100 takes off without a runway before cruising at high speed
The AF100 takes off and lands vertically without a runway, then tilts its two sets of adjustable-angle propellers to cruise at high speed. The platform comes from South Korean company NARMA, which presents it as the world's first electric drone with twin tiltrotors. FPT Group and NARMA have signed a memorandum of understanding for the research, development and commercialisation of next-generation drones, with the AF100 as the first project. Cargo transport, emergency support, patrol and surveillance are among the targeted missions.
The division of work rests on three pillars: NARMA's tiltrotor platforms, AI and software development, and expansion of the supply chain in both countries. Vietnamese engineers are to provide the autonomous flight software, an AI-driven onboard operating system, and target detection and avoidance functions. FPT and NARMA also announce component localisation and co-production for the Vietnamese market. The Ministry of Science and Technology classifies UAV technology as one of the country's strategic technologies.
The specification sheet stops at the propulsion mode
Three elements are documented: the tiltrotor configuration, vertical take-off without a runway, and transition to fast cruise. Payload, endurance, numerical cruise speed, maximum take-off weight and datalink range appear nowhere. In the cargo segment, however, a benchmark exists in Vietnam: the drones deployed by Vietnam Post carry up to 50 kg per trip, in a province where some production areas are 4 or 5 km from collection points.
The market serves as an argument for both partners. Duong Xuan Truong, business development director of FPT UAV, cites a global drone market of $128 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 15%. The agricultural and robotics segment is projected at $363.7 million in 2030, up 4.76% per year. These projections say nothing about the price of the AF100 or the number of units FPT intends to assemble.
Agricultural cargo serves as the first building block in Điện Biên
Vietnam Post launched a drone transport service for goods and agricultural produce on 22 September 2026 in Mường Áng, in Điện Biên province. Coffee and macadamia are among the productions concerned. The company wants to reduce breaks in the transport chain between growing areas and collection points, then integrate these segments into its logistics network. Chu Quang Hào, general director, indicates that the company has already tested uses in healthcare and postal transport.
The testing framework comes from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of National Defence. Nguyen Van Thuat, deputy director of the Department of Digital Economy and Society, announces around 6,000 test flights to validate 3 to 5 UAV application models, with a target of reducing time or costs by 20 to 30% compared with conventional methods. The experimentation remains confined to Điện Biên, under a sandbox model.
Price, schedule and flight hours remain absent from the press releases
No unit price, no delivery date and no order book is published for the AF100. Cumulative flight hours, associated maintenance and any incidents are not documented either. On 16 March 2026, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung cited four Vietnamese strengths in the global drone race: software engineering and AI, the country's position in the East Asian electronics chain, competitive production costs, and broad domestic demand. These strengths describe industrial capacity, not an aircraft qualified for commercial operations in Europe.
An operator seeking a versatile long-range drone therefore has no figures to compare: no announced payload, no range, no price. The Vietnamese file shows an industry being built, from flight software to the Điện Biên sandbox, with a Korean partner on tiltrotor platforms. Operational qualification remains to be established.
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