US-based drone maker aims to start $13.5 mln project in HCMC in Q3
Real-Time Robotics Vietnam, under California-based drone manufacturer and drone solution provider Realtime Robotics (RtR), plans to begin construction of a $13.5 million factory in Ho Chi Minh City next quarter.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s draft environmental impact report for the project, the latest investment certificate was given to the firm in October 2022.
The firm aims to complete administrative procedures for the project in Q3/2024, start first phase construction in Q3/2024, begin second phase construction in Q4/2025, and enter operation at 100% capacity in 2027.
A Hera drone manufactured by Realtime Robotics on display at Vietnam International Defense Expo 2022. Photo courtesy of Realtime Robotics.
The project will cover 9,343 square meters in Saigon Hi-tech Park. It will have an annual output of 500,000 items for drone manufacturing and Big Data processing, including electronic components, video modules, computer components, batteries, and video cameras.
The factory is set to employ 80 people during construction, including 10 foreigners, and 180 during operation, including 20 foreigners. RtR was founded by Luong Quoc Viet, an overseas Vietnamese citizen.
According to RtR, it has a research and development team of 50 expert engineers including composite specialists, aerospace engineers, mechanical engineers, electronics engineers, firmware engineers, software engineers, and AI engineers.
RtR designs and manufactures its drones in-house, including airframes, electronics, payloads, ground control stations, batteries, chargers, control firmware, and analytical software.
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