Few people know that a Vietnamese company’s export order of 5,000 cargo UAVs is the outcome of a ten-year journey marked by successive bitter failures yet characterized by unwavering resilience and a refusal to give up…
As early as 2016 – 2017, CT Group had already set out a strategy to develop the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry and initiated research in this field. By 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, when Vietnam’s UAV sector was still in its infancy, CT Group partnered with the country’s largest agricultural UAV enterprise at that time to establish Dr One Company. The name Dr One, meaning Number One Doctor, also cleverly reads as Drone when written together, symbolizing Vietnam’s first scientific dream in UAV technology.
However, Dr One soon encountered immense challenges, not only the pandemic, but also an unusual sense of isolation, with no one truly understanding or offering support. While CT Group chose the difficult path of research and development (R&D) – a costly and high-risk endeavor – other shareholders in the joint venture argued that focusing on distribution would deliver quicker economic returns and easier profits than investing in R&D. The combination of economic crisis, internal conflicts, and the relentless impact of Covid-19 gradually drained Dr One of its vitality, ultimately forcing it to “end itself” as a means of release.
A Product of Dr One
Undeterred, the research team shifted its focus to military and industrial UAVs, selecting the Middle Eastern market as the starting point. They partnered with another Vietnamese company, and both sides agreed to pursue the path of research and development. This new partner was one of Vietnam’s leading enterprises in the field of military and industrial UAV development. Over the course of 2022 and 2023, CT Group repeatedly provided funding to this alliance, enabling determined efforts to penetrate the Middle Eastern market. At last, their product was showcased before the commander of a major Arab nation.
After that, in 2023, the team went on to establish CT AirUAV. Yet fortune still did not favor them. The group suffered continuous setbacks in its campaigns in the Middle East – a demanding arena where preferences shifted as quickly as the desert winds. The harder they pushed, the more exhausted they became, as their research struggled to keep pace with market demands in a region where the world’s best talents converge. Sweat and capital alike seemed to vanish into the burning desert sands. This time, even their most steadfast supporters turned away. And once more, they had to bid farewell…
In the Middle Eastern Market in 2023
At the most difficult moment, the Group’s leadership made a bold and decisive choice. Giving up was not an option nor could the hard-won lessons be allowed to go to waste. The team had drawn a profound realization: to master the core technologies of the UAV industry and to ensure that the pace of research must outstrip the speed of market change. With grit and determination, they resolved to rise again for the third time, rebuilding their brand identity and, in many ways, redefining themselves under a new name: CT UAV.
Gradually, through “unyielding grit” and a relentless eagerness to learn, CT UAV rose to its feet, first moving faster, then running forward with increasing momentum through 2024 and 2025. Today, it stands as one of the fastest R&D players in the market, securing a distinctive competitive edge. Today, CT UAV is inviting partners from across five continents to join in realizing a great vision: exporting Vietnamese UAVs to the world.
