Mongolia hosted the International “Dronecon 2026” Championship for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Piloting for the first time under the auspices of the President of Mongolia.

A total of 52 competitors from a number of countries, including China, Russia, South Korea, Japan, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, participated in the tournament. The event continued over two days and concluded on June 2 with the winners being crowned.

At the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Uchral Nyam-Osor congratulated the organizers, athletes, and industry representatives. In his remarks, he emphasized that drone technology needs to be gradually introduced into Mongolia in sectors with practical demand, including mining, energy, agriculture, emergency response, infrastructure monitoring, and delivery services. He noted that the government should support proven, economically viable, and safe solutions through policy measures, while the private sector should expand its adoption through investment.

The prime minister highlighted that the drone industry represents a sector of the future for young people. He stressed that emerging skills, including drone engineering, coding, flight control, data processing, artificial intelligence, and geographic information systems, allow Mongolian youth to compete in the global market.  

He further noted that the global drone market is expanding rapidly and is expected to become a leading destination for investment in the world economy and technology sectors. Mongolia has incorporated the timely adoption of advanced technologies into its long-term development policy and its vision of becoming a digital nation. The government is paying particular attention to localizing high technologies and preparing a skilled workforce. Expanding the use, development, and application of unmanned aerial vehicles is one of the key directions in achieving these objectives, he said.

Participants expressed their satisfaction with the opportunity to compete in an international tournament hosted in their home country. Mongolia officially recognized unmanned aerial vehicle piloting as a sport in January this year.

Mongolia's vast territory, relatively sparse population, and economic activities spread across remote areas—including mining, agriculture, tourism, energy, transport and logistics, emergency management, and environmental monitoring—provide significant opportunities for the practical application of unmanned technologies. Drone technology is already being rapidly adopted in many fields, including life-saving operations and improving occupational safety.

Naranbaatar Ichinkhorloo, Chairman of the Board of the Mongolian Drone Pilots Association, said that the international "Dronecon 2026" Championship not only identified the best pilots but also served as an important platform for introducing cutting-edge technologies, elevating the technical thinking and engineering skills of Mongolian youth to international standards, and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience among athletes and teams from different countries.

Published Date:2026-06-03