Jan-Eric Putze, CEO of Droniq
Welcome to GUTMA’s Meet Our Members interview series in which we feature a different member every month.
This month we spoke to Jan-Eric Putze, CEO of Droniq, a joint venture of DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung and Deutsche Telekom. Thanks Jan-Eric for taking the time to share some interesting insights into Droniq.
Combining the know-how of air traffic control, telecommunications and general aviation, Droniq’s mission is to foster the safe and fair integration of unmanned aerial systems into existing airspace structure for current users. The company has three main goals:
- To become the first European air traffic control for unmanned systems;
- To become the first European U-Space Service Provider; and
- To become the leading digital platform for unmanned aviation in Germany and across borders.
Droniq is making contributions to the UTM ecosystem in multiple ways.
Firstly, they have made drones visible to UTM systems with their unique, low weight and low power hook-on device (HOD). The HOD is a matchbox-sized LTE modem which:
- Transmits the drone’s position and identification to the UTM via the cellular network.
- Receives the position of the surrounding air-traffic by identifying proven ADSB and FLARM signals, feeding into the UTM’s live air situation display.
- Actively warns all general aviation pilots in the vicinity of the drone when using FLARM, even if they do not use the UTM service.
Their latest products, the HOD4Stream and HOD4Command, offer real-time, end-to-end encrypted data communication and transmission, which can be mounted onto any aircraft and integrated seamlessly into all supported autopilots.
They have also provided the first fully operational traffic management system for drones in Germany. Their UTM service combines the tracking and control of drones via LTE with the live transmission of video, image or sensor data. This enables the safe integration of drones into airspace and supports commercial flights over long distances – a unique service in the current German drone market. The UTM service also complies with the requirements of the EASA’s U-Space concept and can act as a model for the implementation of U-Space in other European countries.
Furthermore, at the start of the year, Droniq launched an app which helps drone operators plan and execute missions in compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including the new EU regulation) and avoid unnecessary danger to others.
Droniq is currently collaborating with multiple stakeholders across the ecosystem including DFS Aerobits, Sky Drone, Wingcopter and Yuneec amongst others.
Jan-Eric said: “We have implemented many projects in the past that show that our technology works in the different kinds of industries. Now it’s time for the next level: We want to show that our technology can be used on a regular operational basis and therefore can be part of the daily work. For this, we are looking for industrial leaders who are already using drones as a tool and who are willing to do the next step in this segment”
Droniq is also looking to work with talented individuals with a keen interest in aviation and technology.
In the near future, Jan-Eric thinks that we will see the development of new and robust drone models enabling all-weather operations. He also predicts further developments of drone operations.
Jan-Eric said: “Automation and the increasing use of artificial intelligence will provide further efficiency gains in mission execution. An example of this could be the fully automated flight of routes. The drone not only flies over the route but also independently informs the user as soon as it detects discrepancies. All of this has to be implemented together with Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) ensuring safety to all airspace users and offering a fully functioning ecosystem for manned and unmanned systems”
An enthusiastic pilot who works both as a professional and a private pilot, Jan-Eric has a great passion for shaping what he considers to be one of the major future industries.
He said: “In the commercial and government segments, the drone is continually evolving. UTM will play a key role in modernising and safely managing our future airspace.”
Find out more about Jan-Eric Putze through LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-eric-putze-63625b77/ or visit the Dronig website: www.droniq.de to learn more about the business.
Feel free to contact us at GUTMA if you have any questions for our interviewed members, and please do visit our blog again soon for the latest interviews!
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