Muscat – An ambitious Omani project that began as a university graduation assignment is now preparing to represent the sultanate on the international stage, showcasing how local innovation can contribute to the future of aviation technology.

Developed by a team of young Omani engineers from Military Technological College, Drone Lens is an AI-powered autonomous aircraft inspection platform designed to transform aircraft maintenance operations through drone technology, computer vision and machine learning.

The project is led by Luqman Sulaiman Khamis Al Dhafari, Assistant Lecturer and researcher in Aviation Sciences at the college’s Department of Aeronautical Engineering. He said the idea was born in 2023 as a final-year graduation project before evolving into a promising deep-tech startup.

“What started as an academic exercise has now become a full-fledge company representing Oman internationally,” Al Dhafari told Muscat Daily.

Drone Lens automates external aircraft inspections, a process traditionally carried out manually by engineers over several hours. Using autonomous drones equipped with AI-powered visual analysis systems, the platform can detect defects and structural damage on aircraft surfaces with high precision.

According to the development team, the technology can reduce inspection time from nearly eight hours to less than one hour while improving safety and operational efficiency in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector.

The six-member team combines expertise in aeronautical engineering, robotics, software development and AI. Following its success as the Best Graduation Project at the college, Drone Lens secured places in two major incubation programmes – the Runway Programme at Oman Airports and the UPGRADE Incubation Programme at Sultan Qaboos University.

Al Dhafari said the journey was not without challenges. The team faced difficulties in achieving stable autonomous drone flight near large aircraft structures and improving defect-detection accuracy using limited data.

“To overcome these challenges, we conducted repeated field experiments inside real hangars and refined our AI models through continuous development cycles,” he said.

The project has also gained academic recognition, with the team publishing research papers in IEEE Xplore and Springer Nature journals.

Drone Lens recently qualified to represent Oman at International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition 2026 (ITEX 2026), one of Asia’s leading innovation exhibitions, after being selected from among 96 competing Omani projects.

The event will be held in Kuala Lumpur on May 18 and 19 bringing together innovators from more than 25 countries.

The team is currently preparing a live prototype demonstration and refining its technical and commercial presentation ahead of the international judging sessions.

Looking ahead, the team aims to expand Drone Lens across the MENA region, targeting markets in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, while integrating more advanced technologies including ultrasonic sensors and fully autonomous mission systems.

Al Dhafari believes Oman’s youth possess the talent and ambition needed to compete globally, provided they receive practical training, mentorship and stronger support for innovation and entrepreneurship.

He added, “This is only the beginning of our journey.”