Germany-based PLATH GmbH & Co KG and Czech Republic-based company Primoco UAV just demonstrated that with joint efforts the first successful BVLOS-flight of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was made possible under an all-European LUC while regular air traffic was happening in a military airspace of the Bundeswehr in Manching. The versatile fixed-wing UAV “One 150” from Primoco´s portfolio is perfectly suitable for a range of tasks with its take-off weight of 150 kg and a payload of 30 kg allowing an operation time of more than 15 hours non-stop in the air. PLATH´s onboard multi-sensor technologies and airborne radio and transponder allowed safe air traffic management (ATM) and collected all necessary data for the successful mission.

The WTD 61 Geschäftsfeld 470 in Manching was given a mandate from BAAINBw L 5.2 to conduct flight demonstrations to assess the capabilities of the Primoco One 150. The flight was made possible with a LIGHT UAS OPERATOR CERTIFICATE (LUC) from Ingolstadt-Manching airport where the Bundeswehr unit WTD 61, GF 470 is located. It was the Primoco One 150's maiden flight with a LUC in in German airspace. Equipped with a LUC, there was no further need to obtain an approval from the national civil aviation authority of Germany - Luftfahrt Bundesamt (LBA). The frequencies for this flight were allotted by the federal network agency - Bundesnetzagentur (BNA).

All three flights have been successfully performed end of April. After ensuring seamless communication and procedures through a test flight in Visual Line of Sight (VLOS), the air space was opened for all other aircraft. During the following BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) and the BVLOS endurance flight the next day several missions were conducted with focus on flight parameters, navigational accuracy, and other aspects. The PLATH system consisting of onboard multi-sensor technologies and multi-platform connectivity helped the system pass all operational tests by the Bundeswehr with flying colours. In addition, the UAV is equipped with an airborne radio and transponder which made air traffic management (ATM) easy and safe and provided all necessary data for the future-oriented flight mission.

For safety reasons the plane carried a ballistic recovery parachute allowing to minimise the landing impact in case of an emergency. The Primoco flight crew is a holder of both, civil and military drone pilot licenses. The fruitful cooperation leading to this successful test proved that the team´s UAV may be easily integrated into the modern army structure and can perform its missions safely and effectively with compliance to latest aviation standards.

Heiko Fimpel, Director Presales at PLATH commented on this milestone: “I am happy to have this great partnership with Primoco, enabling us with their competence and engagement to bring our high-tech sensor systems over the area of interest and make this success possible. I´d like to thank the Bundeswehr for the competent, friendly and fruitful cooperation leading to this milestone in military aviation in Germany. As the UAV can be easily adapted to different types of sensor operation and integrated into the modern army structure this new vehicle category will have a great future ahead.”

The Primoco UAV SE CEO Ladislav Semetkovský commented the deployment as follows: “I also would like to thank the whole Bundeswehr team and base command, who provided exceptional support for making this evaluation possible. Although the operation took place under a civilian Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC) the plane is designed for full compliance with military STANAG 4703 standards as well. The LUC was selected because it allowed us to perform the activities freely within the frame of our approval and with no delays or additional approvals needed. Our team enjoyed the conversations with representatives from various Bundeswehr units and departments as well as with our partner PLATH who gave us, as the Bundeswehr team, valuable feedback on our system. Obviously, the operation from a prestigious location such as Ingolstadt-Manching required perfect preparation and elimination of any potential risks limiting the base operation.”

With effect from 16 May 2022, Michael Kaldenberg will become Managing Director of PLATH EFT GmbH in Norderstedt, a subsidiary of PLATH Corporation GmbH. EFT can look back on more than 60 years of experience in the electromechanical and electronic production of assemblies, devices and systems. The special strength lies in the development, design and production of electronic assemblies, printed circuit boards and devices according to customer specifications with the quality standards of a premium supplier. As Managing Director, Michael Kaldenberg wants to drive further growth, while maintaining continuity and strengthening EFT's important role within the PLATH Group.

Kaldenberg comes from PRETTL electronics Lübeck GmbH with around 150 employees at the Lübeck location, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PRETTL electronic GmbH, and has been generalistically positioned there since 2016, both responsible for sales accounts and working in the roles of NPI and project manager. The group of companies is the leading German system supplier for Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS). The range of services includes professional solutions from development to production and logistics to after-sales service. Prior to that, he acquired a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the Lübeck University of Applied Sciences and an M.A. in Technical Business Administration from Kiel University of Applied Sciences.

"I am very pleased to be able to take over the management of PLATH EFT GmbH. The excellent positioning of the company, both on the market and within the PLATH Group, provides a good basis for consistently continuing the growth course it has embarked on," says Michael Kaldenberg. 

Effective May 1, 2022, Stefan Günzel will join the CEO Board of INNOSYSTEC GmbH in Salem. As part of the management team, he will be responsible for the national and international growth of the German software company together with Camilla von Baer and Peter Zerwes, and will continue to drive it forward.

With Stefan Günzel, INNOSYSTEC gains a CEO who brings more than 40 years of experience from various security sectors. Most recently, Günzel headed Rola Security GmbH in Oberhausen for more than eight years as Managing Director and Spokesman of the Management Board. The company provides solutions for internal and external security. Its customers include German authorities and organizations as well as international customers with security tasks.

He previously worked in the security division of Deutsche Telekom AG (DTAG) from 2002 and held various management positions at DTAG and T-Systems International GmbH. Among other things, he worked in Public Sales as a top management consultant for customers from German security authorities.

Stefan Günzel began his career in the early 1980s with the German Federal Police (then the Federal Border Guard) and then worked for more than 15 years in various functions at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

"With Stefan Günzel, we were able to gain an absolute industry expert from the security and intelligence domain. His extensive network and many years of management experience make him the ideal candidate for the position of CEO at INNO," says Peter Zerwes, CEO and owner of INNOSYSTEC GmbH. CEO Camilla von Baer, adds: "Stefan Günzel combines all the requirements we need to further expand the national and international presence of our powerful multisource analytics software SCOPE in security agencies".

Stefan Günzel on his new role: "I am very much looking forward to contributing my many years of experience to an established, innovative and agile German software house. With our top motivated and highly specialized INNO team, we will continue the success story of INNOSYSTEC GmbH so far and further expand our solutions and products for national and international customers.

About INNOSYSTEC

INNOSYSTEC GmbH, founded in 2000, is an owner-managed software company based in Salem/Lake Constance.

Security agencies, civilian intelligence services and military worldwide trust in INNO software solutions Made in Germany. The product SCOPE offers a unique platform for the correlation and analysis of billions of data sets from different data sources. Coupled with more than 20 years of domain know-how and excellent technology partners as well as comprehensive after-sales services, INNO thus provides its customers with an unsurpassed, individual service package.

With its software products and services, INNOSYSTEC GmbH makes an active contribution to European IT sovereignty in the intelligence industry.

There is enough space in the new company headquarters built in 2020 to double the 75-strong crew of experts in the next few years.

Important visitor to a Hanseatic hidden champion: Hamburg's First Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher visited the PLATH Group and experienced a modern, fast-growing and successful company that specializes in the field of data-driven crisis prevention.

The importance of this branch of business and technology, the strong role PLATH plays and the promising global growth prospects, also with regard to highly qualified jobs in Hamburg, were the subject of a comprehensive tour through the company. "Precision instruments have been manufactured at PLATH in Hamburg for over 150 years. Today, the PLATH Group is a leading international specialist in data-driven crisis prevention and an important part of Hamburg as a center of innovation and technology," says mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher.

The First Mayor was welcomed and personally accompanied by Nico Scharfe (Managing Partner at PLATH GmbH & Co. KG), Sandra Jung (CSO at PLATH GmbH & Co. KG), Michael Kalt (CEO PLATH Corporation) and Dr. Ronald Meixner (CEO PLATH Signal Products GmbH & Co KG).

As chance would have it, Peter Tschentscher's visit coincided with "Girls & Boys Day", which also was offered by PLATH that day. At the end of his tour, the mayor made himself available for a photo with the children and young people between the ages of 11 and 15 – of which the future talents of course were enthusiastic and impressed.