The DRONTEX conference is a professional platform for sharing of experience and information among experts in unmanned technologies and representatives of state institutions and non-profit organisations from the V4 countries aiming to support drone economy development.
Konferencia DRONTEX má ambíciu vytvoriť odbornú platformu pre zdieľanie skúseností a informácií medzi odborníkmi pre bezpilotné technológie, predstaviteľmi štátnych a neziskových inštitúcií s cieľom podporiť rozvoj dronovej ekonomiky na Slovensku
V Asociácii Mám Dron vnímame obrovský potenciál bezpilotných technológií a ich využitia v rôznych druhoch priemyslu a služieb. V zahraničí táto téma rezonuje čoraz intenzívnejšie na odborných medzinárodných a lokálnych konferenciách a veľtrhoch. Aj to je znakom rozvoja, ktorý tento segment v dnešných časoch zažíva.
Keďže na Slovensku chýba podujatie podobného typu, veríme, že konferencia DRONTEX túto medzeru zaplní a ponúkne priestor pre komunikáciu a spoluprácu odborníkov z oblasti výroby, distribúcie a služieb spojených s UAV.
Konferenciu Drontex sme navrhli ako jednodňovú akciu, ktorá bude rozdelená do troch tematických blokov. V rámci nich na pódiu vystúpia odborníci z oblasti vývoja bezpilotných technológií, manažmentu bezpilotnej prevádzky a predstavitelia firiem ponúkajúcich UAV aplikácie pre geodéziu, kartografiu, energetiku a služby. V prípade úspechu nultého ročníka konferencie máme ambíciu pokračovať v nastavenej línii a vytvoriť tak na Slovensku tradíciu podujatia s vysokou pridanou hodnotou pre celú dronovú komunitu.
Rastislav Sopko
Riaditeľ Asociácie Mám Dron
UNMANNED TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Unmanned Traffic Management in the EU countries
Current drone legislation in the EU
UTM within the context of drone services
ADVNANCED DRONE SERVICES
Drones in energy, construction and other industries
Development of drone services through autonomous operations
Academic research and development of unmanned technologies and its contribution to practical use
SECURITY
Security threats and challenges related to the use of unmanned technologies
Role of drones in the state security structures
Drones in security applications
Vladimír Foltín has been professionally involved in aviation for more than 25 years. He started his career working for an ANSP in Slovakia, first as an AIS technical support, later as an ATCO and instructor, and a leader of various ATM development projects. His experience in the ANSP culminated into a position of a senior safety management official
Vladimir now works in the GA and VTOL certification department of EASA. He manages certification projects and shares his ATM experience with other working groups. In 2016, during Slovak Republic presidency of the EU Council, he was appointed as a chairperson of the EU Council working group for aviation.
EASA
Major. Ing. Mário Malatinec currently works at the Flight Safety Department at the Air Force Headquarters of the Slovak Air Force. In 2000 he graduated from the SNP Military Academy in Liptovský Mikuláš, Faculty of Air Defence, since 2016 he has been a Civil Aviation Officer at Sliač Airport and since 2019 he has been working at the Flight Safety Department of the Air Force Headquarters of the Air Force of the Slovak Republic. In 2019 he completed the Inter-European Aviation Safety Program Management course at Kapun Air Station, Germany.
Air Force Headquarters SR
Raffaello Mariani is Associate professor in aeronautics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. He holds a BSc. in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, AZ, USA, an MEng. In Aerospace Engineering – Experimental Methods, from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA USA, and a PhD In Aerospace Engineering from the University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. After his PhD, he worked as a Wind Tunnel Test Engineer for ONERA The French Aerospace Laboratory in Fauga-Mauzac, followed by a position as a Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore prior to joining KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 2018.
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Ing. Nikol Vašutová completed her studies at Department of Air Transpor at CTU in Prague and since that she has been working at UAS Integration office at Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic. She participated in several national and international projects focused on design and implementation of U-space/UTM and air mobility throughout the EU. As UAS Coordinator she is responsible for designing the development and implementation of UTM systems and U-space concept within Czech airspace.
Air Navigation Services CR
Andrew Hately is a senior researcher in the Drone unit at the EUROCONTROL Innovation Hub in France. He was the technical coordinator of the CORUS and CORUS-XUAM (CORUS extension for Urban Air Mobility ) projects which produced and updated the concept of operation for U-space, Europe's UTM system. He is now the technical coordinator of CORUS five. He is involved in U-space research through the U-space Coordination cell and participates in projects including SPATIO which is maturing separation processes, U-ELCOME an implementation project in Spain, Italy in France with a focus on Harmonisation, and EUREKA a project to develop the traffic management aspects of Vertiports for passenger operations as part of U-space. Andrew is involved in the European Network of U-space Stakeholders and is a member of the ICAO Advanced Air Mobility Study Group.
EUROCONTROL
CEO, serial entrepreneur, and passionate about the newest technology. The last couple of years working on the “twinzo – digital twin,” bringing digital twins to everyone. To manufacturing plants, ports, offices, everywhere…
Twinzo
Rafał Paprocki - Head of Unmanned Traffic Management Projects Department in Polish Air Navigation Services Agency is responsible for development of the PansaUTM system and U-space concept within polish airspace. Fan of digitalisation, new technologies and unmanned world. Licenced drone pilot (VLOS/BVLOS). He merges his interest in UAV technology with everyday duties.
PANSA
Elina Millere has over 14 years of expertise in aviation and in EU Regulatory framework development. Beginning her career with the Latvian ANSP "LGS" in 2011, she transitioned into regulatory roles in 2014 as an inspector for the Latvian Civil Aviation Agency, eventually leading the Unmanned Aircraft Flight Safety section. In 2018, she joined EUROCONTROL, focusing on U-space integration, Support to States with a special focus on Airspace Risk Assessment. Currently, she is seconded to the European Commission, where she contributes to the implementation of the EU Drone Strategy 2.0.
European Commission
9:30 INTRODUCTION
Registration is open from 8:40 – 9:30 at the conference venue – in the Elektrárňa Piešťany premises. To be able to register, you will be required to provide your first and last name or an electronic or a printed ticket (a QR code).
The conference will be opened by the President of the Mám Dron Association Rastislav Sopko and the event ambassador Brig. Gen. (ret.) Ing. Ivan Bella, and hosted by Ján Mečiar.
A short video address by Maria Algar Ruiz from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
9:40 BLOCK 1: UNMANNED TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT IN THE EU
In her presentation, Elina Millere will present the latest information and challenges related to the implementation of the Drone Strategy 2.0 from the perspective of the European Commission
Vladimír Foltín from EASA will discuss the positive impact that low-cost technological convergence can have on the interoperability of General Aviation and drones. Additionally, he will introduce EASA’s initiative to promote the voluntary use of electronic conspicuity among pilots in all airspaces. These efforts aim to enhance situational awareness and overall safety for everyone.
The CORUS five project will bring the SESAR U-space ConOps up to date and will explicitly look at the challenges of scaling up the traffic, integration of UAS with other aviation as well as convergence of UAS traffic management with current Air traffic management. The presentation will Andrew Hately discuss the challenges ahead and how the project aims to address them.
Nikol Vašutová will present the current state and planned activities leading to the implementation of U-space in the Czech Republic.
Coffee break prepared by our gastro partner – Ebenica Coffee
Marek Krnáč in his presentation will focus on the use of drones and drone technology in the conditions of regional self-government in Slovakia. It will touch upon the potential, possibilities of use, as well as risks and current obstacles in their use.
11:40 BLOCK 2: ADVANCED DRONE SERVICES
Jozef Tóth will present aspects related to the preparation for the operation of UAS for the performance of BVLOS inspection flights in power line corridors, as well as the first experiences from such flights.
Milestones, goals and benefits of UAVs in the ZSD as well as first flight experiences will be presented by Peter Mančuška from Západoslovenská distribučná, a.s.
Štefan Dusza will talk about possibilities of BVLOS operations for industry.
Terradron s.r.o. is one of the first professional drone companies in Slovakia. Matúš Sura will introduce a new service for industrial indoor inspections using drones, enabling precise and detailed analysis of technical infrastructure and hard-to-reach or hazardous areas. The presentation will include examples of completed projects that have enhanced safety, efficiency, and significantly reduced inspection and maintenance costs for industrial facilities.
13:00 – 14:00 LUNCH
Ing. Patrik Veľký in his presentation will discuss the specifics of navigation systems for drones in space.
The presentation from Michal Ukropec will cover these topics:
Istvan Endresz tells about their experiences of launching the company’s newest branch, how drone shows are redifinig outdoor events and how it feels to see 500 led drones flying together in harmony.
15:00 BLOCK 3: RESEARCH AND UAS DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Robert Oliver Ladig wants to introduce you to the bustling Drone innovation hub, that is the area in and around Odense, Denmark. Delve into details of the BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) airspace available north of the Danish island Funen, and learn how it can drive cutting-edge drone research and testing, using the research field of aerial manipulation as an example.
The talk of Raffaello Mariani presents an 18-months project of the development of a fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle platform for measurements of atmospheric gas concentration. The project is a collaboration between KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, and Universidad EAFIT, Colombia, under the patronage of SAAB AB, Sweden.
Coffee break prepared by our gastro partner – Ebenica Coffee
The GAMEon experiment, building upon the GAME mission (RX25), developed a self-stable and autonomous microglider platform. Ejected from a Rexus Rocket at 69 km altitude, the microglider reached an apogee of 75 km. It autonomously transitioned from high-speed vacuum conditions to stable flight, steered to target coordinates, and communicated flight data via a self-developed system before retrieval. This project will be presented at the conference by Jonas Quinque.
Michal Brichta – director of the Slovak Space Office will present the possibilities of using unmanned technologies in space.
16:40 BREAK
19:30 GALA DINNER
20:30 EVENING PROGRAMME AND NETWORKING
9:00 BLOCK1: DRONES AND SECURITY
The second day of the conference will be opened with an introductory speech by Radosław Zych, member of the board at the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems (Polska Izba Systemów Bezzałogowych).
mjr. Ing. Mário Malatinec from the Flight Safety Department of the Air Force Headquarters will explain the rules for flying unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in the vicinity of military airports as stated in the amendment to the Act on the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic no. 321/2002 Z. z.. Moreover, as drones become more and more affordable, he will talk about the increase in the number of UAS flights without a permit, the inability of the Slovak Republic to respond flexibly due to current legislation, and the impact of such UAS flights on air traffic safety.
Tomáš Schóber from R-SYS included in his presentation information on ways to integrate drone management in crisis and special operations.
Rafał Paprocki and his colleague Michał Lewandowski in their presentation will talk about how PANSA approaches the UTM system also from a security perspective.
Capt. Sebastian Łagoda and WO Arkadiusz Krzak from Border Board of the Border Guard Headquarters (Poland) will focus their presentation on the use of UAS for border monitoring.
Coffee break prepared by our gastro partner – Ebenica Coffee
The amendment to the Cybersecurity Act and the new EU NIS2 legislation significantly expand the number of obliged entities (Essential Service Providers) and cybersecurity requirements. Manufacturing, technology and commercial companies, among others, will be added. New processes, tools and new job roles are needed.
How to prepare for the new requirements? Where, when, with whom and how to start? Tomáš Hettych, COO of KCCKB, will answer these questions in his presentation.
The presentation of Omer Frank will touch the fundamentals of integrating UAS into the Civil Applications.
Since flying drones nowadays is affordable for almost everyone, a lot of misuse is detected by e.g. critical infrastructure operators, due to clueless, careless, but also criminal drone operators. Reliable UAV detection and smart countering, but also the capability to distinguish between approved and unauthorized flights are key to success. Heiko Nissen from Rohde & Schwarz will discuss this topic further in his presentation.
Eyal Engel will present use cases of the APUS25 – a long endurance quadrocopter.
The presentation of Ákos Haramia will introduce a technological solution designed for police, fire and rescue forces, armed forces and special operations units. The payload provides radio retransmission in order to increase the reach of the radio signal coverage.
Mr. Piotr Samerek, head of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Bratislava, will address the conference with his remarks on the overall potential of drone industry in Poland as well as possible ways of forging cooperation with Slovak and regional partners.
12:35 – 13:30 LUNCH
Modern AI-based autopilot solutions bring unmatched possibilities to UAV operations. Autonomous inspection, surveillance, security control of assets, GNSS-denied flights, or automated target-acquiring; many of these features would not be possible without modern UAV solutions like Airvolute’s DroneCore autopilot and family of UAV systems. Dr. Jozef Rodina will present the integration of these features in modern UAVs for various use cases in the defense and enterprise sectors.
The presentation of Konrad Wojciechowski provides an overall knowledge upon the UAV technology based reconnaissance and strike systems designed and delivered by WB GROUP. It contains the general concept of the integrated and complex UAV based recon and strike system, short overview of the system elements as well as some ideas and recommendations for potential users.
Martin Královič from SafetyCrew will present how they use both conventional and wired drones to monitor crowd movements at festivals in Central Europe and how they cooperate with the Integrated Rescue System to capture images.
Imrich Marton will present the strategic foresight methodology and explain how it can help in better understanding the future of drones, through the use of horizon scanning, identification of forces driving the change in this area, and using alternative scenarios to better embrace plausible future risks and opportunities.
Coffee break prepared by our gastro partner – Ebenica Coffee
Tomáš Kakula will present the fundamental requirements for the safety of drones in the fields of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), electrical safety (LVD), and communication standards for radio equipment (RED) when placing products on the market in the European Union.
Mojmír Vedej will present a new insurance product designed for drones and their owners in Slovakia.
The presentation of Jozef Filko and Ján Golais will cover the general GDPR regulations applicable to drone operations, focusing on specific scenarios such as infrastructure’ constructions monitoring or municipal building’ inspections. It will delve into compliance challenges and provide best practices to ensure adherence to data privacy regulations when using drones.
Closing speech and photo
16:15 END OF THE CONFERENCE
We continue to work intensively on the programme…
Change of the program reserved
Attendance at the conference in Elektrárňa Piešt’any
Welcome drink, meals, coffee and snacks, evening program and networking
Materials from conference organizers and partners
Parking in a reserved parking lot
Rozvoj možností, ktoré ponúkajú bezpilotné technológie, logicky vedie k nutnosti bezpečnej a štandardizovanej integrácie pilotovanej a nepilotovanej prevádzky. Komplexná harmonizácia a prepojenie riadenia oboch typov prevádzky sa s pohľadu bezpečnosti stáva nevyhnutnosťou.
Marek Náhlik
R-SYS, s.r.o.
K projektu mě inspirovala myšlenka, co mohu udělat pro bezpečnost při startu a přistání dronu a dále také myšlenka, jak bych mohl zvýšit operační nasazení dronů. Sám jsem pilot a vím, že najít vhodné místo pro start a přistání dronu není vždy jednoduché. A tak vznikl projekt DRON-PORT.
Ondřej Vaňek
City Air Mobility, s.r.o.
Drony/UAS sa stali pomerne efektívnym a využívaným nástrojom pre vykonávanie viacerých činností, kde je potrebný pohľad “zhora”. Aj napriek tomu však stále existujú aplikácie, v ktorých ich využitie by síce bolo žiadúce, no nie je efektívne z hľadiska ekonomiky.
Práve autonómia, a to nielen z pohľadu samotného letu, ale aj z pohľadu získavania a spracovania dát, nám umožňuje nasadenia UAS do širokého spektra priemyselných aplikácií, kde to doteraz nebolo efektívne.
Jozef Rodina
Airvolute, s.r.o.
Na Slovensku chýbalo odborné podujatie zamerané na vývoj bezpilotných technológií a ich využitie v priemysle a službách. Veríme, že konferencia DRONTEX túto medzeru zaplní a ponúkne priestor pre komunikáciu a spoluprácu odborníkov z tohto segmentu.
Rastislav Sopko
Asociácia Mám Dron
Som rád, že aj Slovensko sa postupne otvára potenciálu, ktorý prinášajú bezpilotné technológie pre bežný život a podnikanie. Konferenciu DRONTEX tak vnímam ako dôležitý krok v tomto procese a verím, že z podujatia sa stane každoročná tradícia.
Ivan Bella
Ambasádor konferencie
Bezpilotné letecké systémy sú nositeľom obrovského potenciálu, a zároveň veľmi závažných bezpečnostných hrozieb. Táto kombinácia si vyžaduje okamžitú reakciu každého jednotlivého štátu vo forme efektívnej a bezpečnej integrácii do vzdušného priestoru. Nemáme na čo čakať, integrujme!
Štefan Dusza
LPS SR
For the participants of the event we offer discounted accommodation in the conference partner hotel: HOTEL PARK PIEŠŤANY ****
Single and double rooms are available.
MAIN PARTNERS
PARTNERS
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SILVER PARTNERS
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MEDIA PARTNERS
GASTRO PARTNERS
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By train, bus
The Elektrárňa building is located about 100m from the main station in Piešt’any.
By car
We have reserved parking at the Main Station for conference participants.
There will be navigation boards at the station and in the parking lot and designated staff available to DRONTEX participants
Elektrárňa Piešťany
Staničná 2334/51
Piešťany
Slovak Republic