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Strategic Advisory Malaysia’s Missed Flight Path in the Global Drone AI Race

Posted By Malaysia Drone Chamber Of Commerce & Industry Malaysia Drone Chamber Of Commerce & Industry on 09/10/2025 3:59 PM

Strategic Advisory Malaysia’s Missed Flight Path in the Global Drone AI Race

Description

Strategic Advisory Malaysia’s Missed Flight Path in the Global Drone AI Race

By MDCoCI Founder & Special Advisor
Malaysia Drone Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MDCoCI)
Official Strategic Partner & Endorsing Body of Drone Tech Asia 2025 (DTA2025), MITEC

Press Release & News

Email news@mdcoci.org 

Mobile +6 019 657 7899


Mr. Elanggovan Thanggavilo

MDCoCI Founder & Special Advisor

+6 010 278 6771

elanggovanthanggavilo@mdcoci.org 

Ground Survey Findings  Low Industry Relevant Visitor Quality

MDCoCI conducted an independent survey and on site observation throughout Drone Tech Asia 2025 (DTA2025). The findings reveal a critical mismatch between the event’s strategic intent and actual audience engagement 

Key Observations

  • Visitor quality skewed toward general public and casual interest groups
  • Very low presence of industry relevant professionals, including 
    • Drone manufacturers and integrators
    • AI solution providers
    • Logistics, agriculture, and infrastructure stakeholders
    • Regulatory and safety experts
    • Institutional buyers and strategic investors

Common Complaints from Exhibitors

  • “We expected B2B leads, but got walk in curiosity.”
  • “No serious buyers or partners approached our booth.”
  • “No visibility of government linked companies or ministries.”
  • “Media coverage was absent, no interviews, no documentation.”

Strategic Implications

  • Wasted exhibitor ROI due to poor audience targeting
  • Missed partnership opportunities for cross sector deployment
  • Erosion of confidence in Malaysia’s drone AI event credibility
  • Disconnect between promotional claims and actual execution

Institutional Breakdown  Low Exhibitor Turnout & MATRADE’s Silence

Alarming Gaps in International Participation

  • DTA2025 suffered from critically low exhibitor numbers, undermining its potential as a global commercialization platform.
  • Many leading drone R&D countries were absent, including 
    • Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, UAE, and Australia
    • No representation from top tier drone manufacturers or AI integrators
    • No institutional delegations from foreign chambers or tech clusters
  • Malaysia missed the chance to host cross border innovation dialogues, strategic MoUs, and investor matchmaking.

MDCoCI’s Outreach Blocked by Institutional Silence

  • MDCoCI formally reached out to MATRADE via 
    • Official emails with strategic proposals
    • Direct phone calls to designated officers
    • WhatsApp follow ups with clear intent to organize online meetings
  • Objective  To initiate country specific brainstorming sessions with MATRADE’s overseas offices and trade commissioners, aimed at 
    • Engaging local drone AI associations and chambers
    • Inviting foreign manufacturers to exhibit at DTA2025
    • Building bilateral commercialization pipelines

No Response. No Action. No Alignment.

  • MATRADE failed to respond or acknowledge MDCoCI’s outreach.
  • No online meetings were arranged. No support was extended.
  • This silence contradicts MATRADE’s mandate to promote Malaysian trade and support strategic chambers.

Malaysia’s global drone AI credibility was compromised by this institutional disconnect.

Why Drone Tech Asia 2025 Faced Low Turnout & Visibility

Despite its global potential and MDCoCI’s formal endorsement, Drone Tech Asia 2025 (DTA2025) at MITEC witnessed low exhibitor turnout and modest visitor participation both local and international. The core issue?

  • Insufficient mainstream media coverage
  • Weak institutional amplification
  • Lack of strategic circulation by government linked agencies and ministries

Many Malaysians, including industry stakeholders, reported they were unaware of DTA2025’s existence, especially when compared to the visibility of other expos routinely promoted by national media and trade bodies. This signals a critical gap in Malaysia’s drone AI ecosystem narrative one that must be urgently addressed to avoid further erosion of global positioning and stakeholder confidence.

 

DTA2025’s Foundational Efforts Led by Aerosea Exhibitions Sdn Bhd

Drone Tech Asia 2025 was initiated and executed by Aerosea Exhibitions Sdn Bhd, who led the development of Malaysia’s drone AI exhibition platform. Despite limited institutional backing, Aerosea delivered 

  • Full scale exhibition infrastructure
  • Strategic alignment with MDCoCI’s commercialization goals
  • A platform for local innovators, entrepreneurs, and drone users

This was a groundbreaking effort to seed Malaysia’s drone AI ecosystem, encourage industry growth, and empower individuals to become users, developers, and startup founders.
Such efforts must be supported in far greater measure by ministries, agencies, GLCs, universities, and media institutions.

Government Advisory  MATRADE’s Missed Opportunity to Amplify DTA2025

MATRADE communicates daily with thousands of registered members via its Member Portal, Business Information Centre, and MADANI Digital Trade (MDT) platform. These channels routinely circulate 

  • Market intelligence and export opportunities
  • Business matching and trade fair invitations
  • Grant and incentive updates

Yet, no formal bulletin or strategic push for DTA2025 was observed across these platforms.

  • No targeted outreach to drone, AI, or green tech exporters
  • No integration into MATRADE’s marketing missions or buyer matching programs

This silence undermines Malaysia’s positioning in the global drone AI race and contradicts the national directive for inclusive tech development.

 

PMX’s Directive vs Reality

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) emphasized that Malaysia’s AI vision must uplift lives, foster inclusion, and reflect Southeast Asian values not merely chase technological prestige. He launched the ASEAN AI Malaysia Summit 2025 with a call for real world impact, not symbolic headlines.

Yet, DTA2025’s muted visibility and lack of institutional support contradict this directive.

  • No coordinated amplification from federal ministries
  • No state level engagement or coverage
  • No mainstream media spotlight despite MDCoCI’s strategic endorsement

State Level Coverage  Sparse and Fragmented

Only a handful of state linked news outlets acknowledged DTA2025. Coverage was limited to 

  • Federal level remarks by MITI’s Deputy Minister
  • NAICO Malaysia’s participation under MITI’s aerospace mandate
  • Organiser statements via PR channels

No coordinated coverage from state governments such as Selangor, Penang, Johor, or Sarawak despite their active roles in tech and industrial development. This absence reflects a broader disconnect in regional engagement.

Who Should Have Participated  Malaysia’s Drone AI Ecosystem Authorities

Policy & Strategic Oversight

  • Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI)
  • Ministry of Digital
  • Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI)

Coordinating & Innovation Agencies

  • MRANTI
  • MDEC
  • NAICO Malaysia

Regulatory & Safety Bodies

  • Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM)
  • Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)
  • Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM)

Trade & Promotion Agencies

  • MATRADE
  • Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC)
  • SME Corp Malaysia

Defence, Security & Emergency Response

  • Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)
  • National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA)
  • Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM)
  • Fire & Rescue Department (BOMBA)

Sectoral Ministries for Use Case Deployment

  • Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
  • Ministry of Health
  • Ministry of Transport
  • Ministry of Higher Education

MDCoCI’s Institutional Blueprint

MDCoCI is actively 

  • Formalizing new chambers and founder documentation for cross border expansion
  • Segmenting communications for LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Knowledge Rhythm
  • Integrating new partners into MoU scope documents with clear roles and recognition
  • Activating media platforms to honor contributors and document institutional legacy

 

Speaker Composition & Strategic Warning  Reality Check Against Global Standards

With the absence of international exhibitors and institutional support, the DTA2025 organizer is now left to manage a speaker lineup that is almost entirely local. While this offers a platform for Malaysian voices, it also exposes a critical gap in global benchmarking.

Current Reality

  • Speaker pool is 90%+ local, with minimal foreign expert participation
  • No representation from global drone manufacturers, AI labs, or regulatory bodies
  • Panel diversity and technical depth fall short of international standards
  • Sessions lack cross border commercialization insights, investor perspectives, and policy harmonization dialogues

Strategic Warning to Speaker Teams

  • Yes, it’s free. Yes, it’s appreciated. But the reality must be acknowledged.
  • Malaysia’s drone AI credibility is on display this is not a casual seminar.
  • Every speaker must elevate their delivery, content, and strategic framing.
  • Benchmark against global events like Japan Drone Expo, InterDrone USA, and Dubai Drone Show.
  • Avoid generic slides and shallow commentary this is a legacy building moment.

MDCoCI’s Advisory to Organizers

  • Curate speaker sessions with precision and strategic intent
  • Include chamber led panels, MoU showcases, and commercialization case studies
  • Activate media documentation to honor contributors and amplify institutional value
  • Prepare post event speaker digest for international circulation and benchmarking

 

Our Call to Action

We urge 

  • Government ministries to issue formal endorsements and deploy regulatory support
  • GLCs and MNCs to participate in DTA2025 and initiate strategic partnerships
  • Mainstream media to spotlight Malaysia’s drone AI journey and institutional milestones
  • MATRADE and MITI to circulate DTA2025 updates across all member channels with urgency
  • State governments to align with national directives and amplify drone AI initiatives
  • Educational and research bodies to integrate drone AI into national development frameworks

Malaysia must not remain a spectator in the global drone AI race. DTA2025 was the launchpad. MDCoCI stands ready to lead but we need every institutional engine firing.

We call for an official meeting for rectifying the unattended issue by the most important and relevant organisation.

Press Release & News

Email news@mdcoci.org 

Mobile +6 019 657 7899

 

Yours sincerely,


Mr. Elanggovan Thanggavilo

MDCoCI Founder & Special Advisor

+6 010 278 6771

elanggovanthanggavilo@mdcoci.org 

 

Government Advisory  MATRADE’s Role in Drone AI Ecosystem Visibility

As Malaysia’s national trade promotion agency, MATRADE maintains daily communications with its registered members including manufacturers, traders, service providers, chambers, and associations through its Member Portal, Business Information Centre, and the MADANI Digital Trade (MDT) platform. These channels offer 

  • Market intelligence and product research
  • Business matching with international buyers
  • Access to export grants and incentives
  • Virtual trade fair participation
  • Daily updates and curated trade opportunities

Yet, despite this robust infrastructure, there is no evidence of consistent or strategic circulation of Drone Tech Asia 2025 (DTA2025) content to MATRADE’s member base. This includes 

  • No formal bulletins or circulars spotlighting DTA2025 as a national level drone AI showcase
  • No targeted outreach to drone, AI, or green tech exporters to participate or align with MDCoCI’s endorsed platform
  • No integration of DTA2025 into MATRADE’s specialized marketing missions or international buyer matching programs

MATRADE Communications vs DTA2025 Visibility

MATRADE’s Regular Outreach

 

  • Daily email bulletins sent to thousands of registered exporters and members
  • Weekly trade updates covering:
  • Export opportunities
  • Trade missions and exhibitions
  • Market intelligence and buyer matching
  • Specialized circulars for sector specific events (e.g., halal, E&E, green tech)
  • MADANI Digital Trade (MDT) platform used for curated digital outreach

 

DTA2025 Coverage: Practically Absent

 

  • No formal circulars or bulletins spotlighting Drone Tech Asia 2025
  • No targeted outreach to drone, AI, or green tech exporters
  • No integration into MATRADE’s specialized marketing missions
  • No mention in weekly trade highlights or member alerts
  • No coordination with overseas trade offices to promote DTA2025 globally

 

Strategic Consequences

 

  • Members unaware of DTA2025 despite daily MATRADE updates
  • Missed opportunity to mobilize exporters, manufacturers, and investors
  • Contradiction between MATRADE’s mandate and actual support for drone AI sector

 

Strategic Implications

This lack of visibility and alignment risks 

  • Undermining Malaysia’s positioning in the global drone AI race
  • Missing cross sectoral export opportunities for drone, AI, and green hydrogen ventures
  • Diluting institutional recognition for MDCoCI’s chamber led initiatives and MoU expansions

MDCoCI’s Recommendation to Government

We urge 

  • MATRADE and MITI to formally circulate DTA2025 updates across all member channels with urgency
  • Integration of DTA2025 into export promotion missions, buyer matching, and grant eligible activities
  • Dedicated spotlight on MDCoCI’s strategic role as the chamber formalizing Malaysia’s drone AI ecosystem

Malaysia’s drone AI future demands institutional amplification. DTA2025 is the launchpad. MATRADE must be the megaphone.

Strategic Warning  TVET & MOE Absence Contradicts National Directive

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) has repeatedly emphasized the importance of TVET, drone technology, and AI integration as pillars of Malaysia’s future economy. Yet, DTA2025 saw zero participation from technical schools, vocational colleges, or TVET institutions. This is not just an oversight it’s a strategic failure.

What Was Expected

  • MOE, JPK, and TVET institutions to actively integrate DTA2025 into their school calendars
  • Delegations of students and educators to attend, observe, and engage with drone AI exhibitors
  • Curriculum alignment with real world drone applications showcased at the event
  • Joint panels or workshops featuring educators, innovators, and chamber leaders

What Actually Happened

  • Not a single technical school delegation visited with students
  • No formal involvement from MOE, JPK, or TVET colleges
  • No student showcases, drone demos, or institutional booths
  • No effort to connect education with industry at a national level exhibition

Strategic Consequences

  • Malaysia’s youth were denied exposure to cutting edge drone AI technologies
  • TVET credibility weakened by lack of real world engagement
  • PMX’s directive diluted by institutional inaction
  • DTA2025’s educational legacy lost due to absence of structured participation

MDCoCI’s Advisory

  • MOE and JPK must immediately align future exhibitions with TVET deployment
  • Vocational schools must be mandated to participate in national tech events
  • Drone AI curriculum must be activated through chamber led partnerships
  • Student delegations must be prioritized in future commercialization platforms

 

Institutional Failure  Where Were UTeM, Jelita TVET, MTUN TVET & Global Technical Universities?

Malaysia’s drone AI ecosystem demands high quality industrial engagement and academic alignment. Yet, when it mattered most during DTA2025 key technical institutions were absent, silent, and disengaged.

What Happened to UTeM, Jelita TVET, MTUN TVET?

  • No formal participation, no booths, no speaker representation.
  • No student delegations, no drone showcases, no curriculum tie ins.
  • No effort to align their TVET programs with the national level exhibition.
  • No media activation or institutional amplification of DTA2025.

Global Technical Universities Ignored the Call

  • No invitations extended to overseas drone tech universities or R&D labs.
  • No joint panels, no MoUs, no academic industry matchmaking.
  • No cross border institutional presence despite MDCoCI’s strategic outreach.

One Year of Planning Still No Engagement

  • DTA2025 was not a surprise. It was planned about a year in advance.
  • Local universities had every opportunity to align, prepare, and participate.
  • Yet none launched relevant activities, student mobilization, or research showcases.
  • No integration of drone AI into academic calendars or innovation pipelines.

Strategic Consequences

  • Malaysia’s academic credibility weakened in the eyes of global drone AI stakeholders.
  • TVET and technical universities missed a legacy building moment.
  • DTA2025’s institutional depth diluted by absence of thought leaders and educators.

MDCoCI’s Advisory

  • UTeM, Jelita TVET, MTUN TVET must be formally engaged in future exhibitions.
  • Global technical universities must be invited through chamber led diplomacy.
  • Academic institutions must activate drone AI curriculum and showcase talent.
  • Malaysia must never again host a national tech event without full spectrum academic participation.

Tags: hiilsedrone, ktdmb, mdcoci, drone tech, drone tech asia 2025

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