Balikpapan - The first day of the Stage II Selection, or Progress Assessment, of the 2026 Indonesian Flying Robot Contest (KRTI) officially began on Thursday, August 13, 2026. At this stage, teams from universities across Indonesia began demonstrating the progress of their technologies and the operational readiness of their aircraft as they compete for a place in the KRTI 2026 National Final.

Institut Teknologi Kalimantan (ITK), which has been appointed as the host of the KRTI 2026 National Final, serves as the central location for the jury’s assessment activities. Meanwhile, participants take part in the selection process online from their respective locations, demonstrating aircraft performance, control systems, navigation capabilities, and technological readiness according to the requirements of each division.

The Stage II Selection takes place from August 13–15, 2026. Unlike the earlier stage, which focused primarily on proposals and initial concepts, this phase evaluates the progress of each team’s design, manufacturing, system integration, and operational readiness.

KRTI 2026 features five competition divisions: Racing Plane (RP), Fixed-Wing (FW), Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL), Technology Development (TD), and Long Endurance Low Altitude (LELA). This year, the competition involves 169 teams, consisting of 55 Racing Plane teams, 32 Fixed-Wing teams, 40 VTOL teams, 21 Technology Development teams, and 21 LELA teams, with approximately 676 students and 169 faculty supervisors participating.

On the first day, participating teams underwent assessments according to their respective schedules through designated virtual rooms. Through this mechanism, the jury can directly observe the readiness of both the aircraft and their supporting systems. The assessment therefore focuses not only on mission completion, but also on system stability, navigation accuracy, operational readiness, and each team’s ability to integrate the technologies they have developed.

One of the divisions presenting a high level of technical complexity is VTOL. The division simulates the use of autonomous UAVs for emergency response in urban environments. Teams are challenged to integrate manual and autonomous control, navigate through various obstacles, deliver medical payloads accurately, and complete a stable landing.

During the Stage II Selection, VTOL aircraft begin their mission from the Start Zone in manual mode and fly toward Waypoint 1 (WP1). The aircraft then transition into autonomous mode, proceed to WP2, and drop a First Aid Kit onto a designated target. The mission continues through a Triple Gate before concluding with a stable landing at WP3.

The VTOL assessment carries a maximum score of 80 points, covering manual navigation, autonomous navigation, payload dropping accuracy, successful passage through the Triple Gate, and the final landing. Of the 40 VTOL teams, the 16 highest-performing teams will advance to the national final.

Each of the other divisions presents a different engineering challenge. The Fixed-Wing division tests the development of Edge AI-based UAVs for mapping, area monitoring, object detection, and precision aid delivery. The Technology Development division focuses on UAV technology innovation, including airframes, propulsion systems, flight controllers, sensors, and ground stations.

Meanwhile, LELA challenges aircraft endurance through long-range missions covering approximately 60 kilometers, while the Racing Plane division emphasizes the ability of high-speed fixed-wing UAVs to complete designated courses quickly, accurately, and safely.

ITK is also participating in the competition through Team Evosky in the VTOL Division. The team is scheduled to undergo its Stage II Selection on August 14, 2026. This participation reflects ITK’s role not only as the host of KRTI 2026, but also as an institution actively encouraging its students to develop technologies in UAV systems and autonomous flight.

The first day marks the beginning of a three-day assessment process before the Stage II Selection results are announced on August 20, 2026. Teams that advance will continue their preparations for the KRTI 2026 National Final, scheduled for September 21–26, 2026.

This year’s final will be a significant moment for East Kalimantan, as ITK has been entrusted to host the competition in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) area. KRTI 2026 carries the theme “From Sky to Smart Capital: UAV Innovation for Indonesia’s Future City,” highlighting the role of UAV technologies in addressing the needs of future cities.

Through the Stage II Selection, each team is challenged to prove that the innovations previously presented in their designs can function effectively in real-world conditions. From this stage, the strongest teams will be selected to bring their flying robot innovations to the skies of IKN at the KRTI 2026 National Final.