Myson Century aims to capture 30% of the heavy-lift drone market as geopolitical tensions and supply chain concerns create opportunities for trusted manufacturers outside China, according to Chairman Youming Chang.
The global drone market is expected to reach US$54.5 billion by 2029, growing at nearly 9% annually, driven by expanding commercial applications and technological advances. Chang said Taiwan's trustworthiness and manufacturing capabilities position it well as some drone brands face exclusion over security concerns.
"During the Russia-Ukraine War, drones' potential truly caught worldwide attention," Chang said. "In asymmetric warfare, it's more cost-effective to spend one-tenth the amount on 10,000 drones rather than US$3-4 billion on one aircraft."
Myson Century focuses on heavy-lift drones ranging from 2-25 kilograms rather than consumer photography models, targeting what Chang calls a "blue ocean market with few competitors." The company has five models in mass production, including hybrid fuel-electric and pure-fuel vertical takeoff aircraft.
Project leader Jianquan Qu said the company emphasizes AI integration for obstacle avoidance, visual recognition and automated inspection capabilities. Myson Century positions itself as a "flying vehicle platform" provider, allowing customers to add applications without designing drones from scratch.
The modular approach helps address cost and tariff challenges. Besides complete drones, Myson Century supplies modules globally for local assembly, reducing tariff exposure and improving competitiveness against high US levies.
Qu said Taiwan's semiconductor strengths enable competitive chip and module design for flight systems, though the island started later than international leaders. Government support and subsidy programs should help Taiwan catch up within two years.
Myson Century designs and manufactures over 70% of its drone hardware components internally, including IC modules. Applications span bridge inspections, overseas facility monitoring and rescue operations, where drones can replace costly boat-based inspections costing tens of thousands of dollars.
The company expects significant growth in 2026-2027 as customer validation processes complete, with many clients already in verification phases for pure-fuel VTOL and long-range models.
Project leader Jianquan Qu. Credit: Digitimes
Article translated by Vyra Wu and edited by Joseph Chen
