Expanding the sales of Czech UAV manufacturer Primoco UAV SE into new markets will now be driven by David Jirman who will work together with the company's CEO Ladislav Semetkovský and Sales Director Jakub Fojtík.
Jirman, who has been working in the aviation industry for more than 15 years, previously worked as a Sales Director for three continents at Aero Vodochody Aerospace. He also supported another Czech manufacturer, Aircraft Industries, in developing its business activities.
“The talk about UAVs in recent months has been mainly related to the conflict in Ukraine. In fact, their use is much broader than just military. They assist in border and coastal protection, monitoring of strategic national infrastructure such as pipelines, rescue operations and searches for missing persons or intelligence activities. They have potential applications everywhere in the world, regardless of whether a country is in a war or not,” Semetkovský describes the opportunities he sees in expanding into new markets for Primoco. According to the company’s CEO, strengthening the team is a way to take advantage of these opportunities not only in countries where the Czech manufacturer is already present, but also in completely new markets.
Prior to joining Primoco UAV SE, David Jirman spent more than 13 years at Aero Vodochody Aerospace, where he first managed procurement for military programs, including the company’s flagship L-39NG project, which itself includes more than 300 Czech and foreign suppliers. Between 2018 and 2022, he held the position of Sales Director for Europe, North America and Australia at Aero Vodochody Aerospace.
Jirman’s extensive experience in civil aviation in addition to military aerospace production, is another significant addition to the Primoco UAV team after Colonel (retired) Vladan Ševčík, who worked for more than 20 years in the past in the state administration of the Ministry of Defence in the areas of certification and maintenance of airworthiness of military aircraft.
Primoco UAV SE achieved record results in the first half of this year. Revenues amounted to CZK 102.8 million, an increase of 800% year-on-year. The company delivered a half-year EBITDA profit of CZK 50.6 million. The company delivered a total of 7 UAVs in the first half of the year. It plans to sell a total of 40 aircraft worth CZK 500 million in 2022.
Primoco UAV SE develops and produces the One 150 civilian and military unmanned aircraft, capable of flying completely independently according to programmed flight plans. The key features of the aircraft are its size, maximum take-off weight 150 kg, 15 hours endurance, 1800 km range, cruising speed 120 km/h, payload 30 kg and fully automatic take-off and landing. The company focuses on civil and military aerospace applications, particularly in energy, border and coastal security, fire monitoring and search and rescue operations. The company’s aircraft is in operation on four continents. Primoco UAV is a publicly traded company on the Prague Stock Exchange in the PX START market.