Malaysia’s homegrown drone and automation solutions company, Aonic, today launched the Mist Tec 50 at DroneTechAsia 2025, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s drone ecosystem.
The Mist Tec 50 is the first Malaysian-engineered heavy-duty agricultural drone with a 50-litre payload capacity, designed and built entirely by local talent.
Developed end-to-end in Malaysia, the Mist Tec 50 involved a team of local engineers, developers, and technicians across the full cycle of design, prototyping, testing, and software integration. Showcasing Malaysia’s ability to deliver world-class AgriTech solutions through local innovation, Aonic is creating homegrown intellectual property (IP), cultivating Malaysian engineering expertise, and building a pipeline of skilled talent that directly contributes to the national drone ecosystem.
“The Mist Tec 50 is a Made in Malaysia milestone that reflects how far our nation’s innovation ecosystem has come. Aonic is making its mark as an innovative creator, proving that local talent can scale to meet both global benchmarks and the toughest demands of agriculture,” said Cheong Jin Xi, Founder and CEO of Aonic.
Cheong added, “Together, we look towards overcoming these challenges through end-to-end hardware and software innovation. Through the Mist Tec 50, and our proprietary Airamap Desktop and Mist Flight App, we are empowering farmers to embrace the future of modern agriculture with greater productivity and resilience.”
Empowering Farmers Through Integrated Technology
This capability is supported by Aonic’s proprietary software ecosystem: Airamap Desktop and the Mist Flight App, designed to work in tandem as complementary tools.
Airamap Desktop is a fleet management and advanced analytics system, equipped with an AI-powered data engine for tasks such as tree counting, crop monitoring, and yield estimation.
The Mist Flight App, developed for the Mist Drone series, provides live location tracking, telemetry data, and real-time video streaming to the remote controller. Together, these complementary tools support and elevate the Mist Tec 50, making it especially effective for larger-scale fleet management and plantation operations.
Driving A Broader Automation Ecosystem
This integration of hardware and software reflects Aonic’s long-term vision to build an automation ecosystem spanning land, air, and sea. Beyond agriculture, the company continues to expand into Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for industrial and offshore applications.
To date, Aonic drones have serviced over one million hectares of farmland annually across Southeast Asia. Its regional operations are supported by a workforce of 300 specialists and a network of more than 40 service centres, providing end-to-end support from deployment to maintenance.
With this reach, Aonic can serve large plantations alongside SMEs and farmers, enabling more efficient scaling. Beyond today’s technology, Aonic is focused on long-term investment in agricultural communities, ensuring that innovation continues to deliver value for years to come.
Building Skills, Access, And Trust
Aonic’s commitment to Malaysia’s drone ecosystem is reinforced through Drone Academy Asia, the country’s first CAAM-approved Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO), which has trained more than 3,500 licensed operators to date. This initiative is creating a steady pipeline of skilled workers who are supporting the growth of the national drone industry.
Accessibility is also central to Aonic’s model. Through Aonic Flex, Malaysia’s first flexible financing scheme for agri-drones and inputs, the company has disbursed more than RM20 million (approx. USD4.2 million) across the region.
Combined with the Aonic Agriculture App, which connects farmers to financing, agri-inputs, and after-sales support, Aonic ensures that technology adoption is inclusive and sustainable for farms of every size.
Certified by CAAM as an Unmanned Aerial Work Certificate (UAWC) holder, Aonic meets and exceeds industry benchmarks for safety and operational excellence — setting a new standard of reliability and trust in Malaysia’s drone ecosystem.
“Our ambition is to compete globally while strengthening Malaysia’s national drone ecosystem. Every operator we train and every hectare we cover is proof that Malaysia can lead with innovation and credibility,” said Cheong Jin Xi, Founder and CEO of Aonic.
