On 30 September 2021, Primoco UAV SE's factory airport in Písek - Krašovice was the site of a successful flight of Primoco UAV One 150M, registered under the mark 0498 in the Czech military aviation register. The flight was a precursor to the start of flight tests according to STANAG 4703.
Primoco UAV SE has been developing the Primoco UAV One 150 with a maximum take-off weight of 150 kg since 2015, and although it has already delivered aircraft to customers on three continents, the latest military version, the One 150M, incorporates specific modifications required by the terms of the STANAG 4703 certification standard. The flight was supervised by representatives of the Department of Supervision of Military Aviation of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic and the Military Technical Institute of Aviation and Air Defence and lasted a total of 35 minutes and was performed by Radek Suk, a factory pilot who, in addition to his civilian privileges, also holds a military pilot’s licence. The flight test included verification of selected parameters, which the aircraft fully met. Radek Suk evaluated the flight as follows: “Today’s trip is the culmination of the long-term work of the entire Primoco team. The basic parameters of the aircraft have been verified and the aircraft has successfully entered the flight verification phase before the supervisory authorities. This is the first flight in a series of tests in which all parameters specified in the regulations will be verified. The aircraft functioned without any malfunctions and the flight overall went exactly as planned. I would like to thank the Military Aviation Oversight Division and Military Aviation Technical Institute and Air Defence for their support in the previous ground test process.”
The STANAG 4703 certification basis represents a set of requirements that an aircraft must meet to demonstrate the necessary reliability and performance. However, certification does not only impose requirements on the aircraft, but also on the company itself. Therefore, prior to the start of certification, the company was approved as a development (DOA) and production organization (POA) according to the latest European military regulations EMAR 21. The company’s licenses, together with fully independent production localized in the Czech Republic and its own factory airport, represent a unique combination enabling independent development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles at a world-class level. Ladislav Semetkovský, CEO of Primoco UAV SE, commented: “As the first European company to certify an aircraft according to STANAG 4703 in the form of a full certification rather than recognition of previous national approvals, we will have a greater volume of flight activity ahead of us, but this will lead to a full certificate. I am very pleased that the certification exams are continuing, and we are proceeding according to the approved plan. Thanks to the support of Military Aviation Oversight Division and Military Aviation Technical Institute and Air Defence, a completely unique aircraft is being developed in the Czech Republic, which has the potential to become one of the most widespread types in the world, and which customers can operate in a mixed environment together with manned aircraft. The certification will therefore make the UAV a fully-fledged military aircraft, which is the only option for users affected by the EMAR air regulations. At the same time, our aircraft is fully compliant with civil air traffic rules, which no other machine in the world offers yet. In addition to certification, our company focuses on expanding the capabilities of the aircraft and in recent months we have successfully integrated and verified some new technologies, such as elements of the manet networks for the Czech Army. Next year, we plan to integrate the further generation of sensors that will make our aircraft a versatile platform suitable for a wide range of civilian and military missions.”
The Czech company Primoco UAV develops and manufactures the civilian and military unmanned aircraft One 150. These are aircraft capable of flying completely independently according to programmed flight plans, including fully automatic take-off and landing. One of the key features of the aircraft is its exceptional endurance, thanks to which it can spend more than 15 hours in the air non-stop at a cruising speed of 100-150 km/h which represents a range of up to 2,000 km. With a maximum take-off weight of 150 kg and a payload of 30 kg, the One 150 can be used for a wide range of deployments in both civil and military operations. The company’s aircraft is currently used on three continents for inspections of product pipelines and distribution networks in the energy sector, ensuring border and coastal security, monitoring fires or in search and rescue operations. Primoco UAV SE is a publicly traded company on the Prague Stock Exchange market.