Drone Manufacturer Yuneec Set to Conquer the Global Market with Open Platform
In a special interview with IsraelDefense, Vice President of Yuneec International Jörg Schamuhn discusses the latest trends in the global drone market and elaborates on the company’s strategic partnerships in Israel
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 30/08/2019
Yuneec's hexacopter with Mobilicom's communications equipment (Photo: Yuneec Israel)
Yuneec International, a company specializing in the manufacture of multi-rotor drones, is entering the Israeli defense market. Among other things, the company, through its representative in Israel ORZ Marketing, maintains contacts with the defense ministry as well as several defense industries. A few weeks ago, Yuneec concluded a technological cooperation with Israeli company Mobilicom for the integration of secure SDR/LTE communication systems in some of the company’s models.
“First of all, let me dwell on the term Quadcopter. In the commercial/defense fields, we are actually specializing in the production of multi-blade Hexacopters (six engines) and not Quadcopters (four engines),” explains Jörg Schamuhn, Vice President of Yuneec International, CEO of Yuneec Europe, and a former fighter pilot in a special interview with IsraelDefense. “We think that safety and redundancy are very important elements and we therefore believe in the hexacopter configuration.
Drone Market Trends
Schamuhn identifies form factor as one of the biggest trends today. “The market separates into a small form factor, foldable, easy to use, very fast to deploy with a highly integrated mission capability. This is the route for personal drone equipment in short-range operations. Alongside them are platforms that are multi-sensor capable, with hot-swap payload capabilities, which can be configured for a task and a mission. Another very important trend is data security and data privacy, as can be observed in the public sector and the defense industry. Third is electronic robustness, meaning that the drone has the capability to operate in a highly electronic polluted area without interference.
“Another trend is systems that are configurable not only on the payload side but also for communication links, battery systems, redundancy of core systems, display units, and level of navigation precision. There is also a strong requirement to fly BVLOS operations safely within the airspace to overcome longer distances and to inspect larger areas. Last but not least, there is a strong requirement for standardization of systems from one supplier to make fleet management and training easier.”
According to Schamuhn, the company places great emphasis on data privacy. “We are at no time connected to the drone or have any access to the data of the drone or its payload. For us, this is a big red line,” he stresses. “Data belongs to the operator and to nobody else. Even for our software updates, we respect the absolute privacy policy of data. Secondly, we are an open-source system which is based on PX4 and also a standardized hardware interface which allows third-party applications and hardware to get easily integrated into the system.
“We have a formal certification process for third-party manufacturers who can get their solution certified by Yuneec so that operators are sure this works and provides full warranty. Our system allows, through hot-swapping, to change payloads in seconds. The H520 uses its own ground station instead of standard consumer electronics to display, store, and analyze data. This adds to the data security concept.
“We also offer multiple communication options together with partners, which also include state-of-the-art encryption capabilities. Finally, we are able to modify and configure software and interfaces through our research lab in Zurich. We run our system with software made in Switzerland, a quality statement by itself.”
The Goal: Encrypted Communication
Yuneec International recently partnered with Israeli company Mobilicom to integrate encrypted LTE communications capabilities into some of its models.
According to Schamuhn, this partnership strengthened the company’s market position. “It is a lively cooperation with a lot of potential to develop state-of-the-art communication systems for drones. The Mobilicom solution provides us with a lot of options allowing us to fulfill customers’ specific needs. The technologies of both companies merge nicely together, providing state-of-the-art solutions which are customizable in a way that is unique in our market segment. We are sure that Mobilicom will be a key element in our commercial strategy which will allow us to grow fast.
Asked about how the company deals with the supervision of dual-use technology export, Schamuhn says, “We have to be very mindful in choosing where we operate on the globe and who our customers are. We are going through as many due diligence cycles as possible to reduce the possibility that our technology gets into the wrong hands or is being used for the wrong purpose. But for sure there is always insecurity here.”
How can a customer economically justify investing in customized solutions when there are high-quality COTS products?
“Yuneec is a manufacturer that offers an open-source product based on PX4 which is customizable within limits. But our core system is highly standardized. This allows us to produce it efficiently and offer solutions with a favorable level of investment and an effective return of investment for the operators. Our platform is capable of a wide array of applications and verticals,” explains Schamuhn.
“Yuneec’s commercial product system is based on five columns, which can be mixed and matched to suit the needs of an operator. Column one is the carrier like H520, Mantis, Typhoon H or H920. Column two is payloads like E90 RGB, E10T Thermal, or E10Tv. Third is navigation like the RTK solutions for example. Number four is software with our own Data Pilot, Data Pilot Deluxe, third-party mapping, maintenance and fleet management software. And last but not least which is communication and data link like WIFI, OFDM, Skyhopper, LTE, and others. This allows customization within the Yuneec commercial toolbox. Obviously, we are capable of going to individual customization but, in general, this makes systems more expensive and the maintenance of these systems is huge.”
Addressing the Cyber Threat
“Cyber threat is a topic that needs to get addressed quickly,” argues Schamuhn. “Especially in safety and security applications, we need to take care of effective countermeasures. Our partnership with Mobilicom is of great use here and will bring substantial advantages to our system.
While Yuneec is a big player in the multi-rotor drone industry, the market is largely dominated by rival DJI. I was interested in getting Schamuhn’s opinion on his biggest competitor. “It is not relevant what we think of them,” he answered in a somewhat PC manner. “We at Yuneec focus on ourselves and our customers. We are open source and we offer privacy and security. These attributes will allow us to grow. These attributes have convinced a lot of customers to choose us before considering anybody else. It is very different than sitting in an ‘eggshell’ closed system.”
What are your plans for the Israeli market?
“We are very happy that we were able to develop relationships with Israeli companies and potential customers. Israel is a leading country in the UAV and robotics industry. We are moving forward to develop our relationships and develop products for our open-source platform, especially in Israel. We already learned a lot, and we are sure there is much more to explore,” concluded Schamuhn.
In a special interview with IsraelDefense, Vice President of Yuneec International Jörg Schamuhn discusses the latest trends in the global drone market and elaborates on the company’s strategic partnerships in Israel
Yuneec's hexacopter with Mobilicom's communications equipment (Photo: Yuneec Israel)
Yuneec International, a company specializing in the manufacture of multi-rotor drones, is entering the Israeli defense market. Among other things, the company, through its representative in Israel ORZ Marketing, maintains contacts with the defense ministry as well as several defense industries. A few weeks ago, Yuneec concluded a technological cooperation with Israeli company Mobilicom for the integration of secure SDR/LTE communication systems in some of the company’s models.
“First of all, let me dwell on the term Quadcopter. In the commercial/defense fields, we are actually specializing in the production of multi-blade Hexacopters (six engines) and not Quadcopters (four engines),” explains Jörg Schamuhn, Vice President of Yuneec International, CEO of Yuneec Europe, and a former fighter pilot in a special interview with IsraelDefense. “We think that safety and redundancy are very important elements and we therefore believe in the hexacopter configuration.
Drone Market Trends
Schamuhn identifies form factor as one of the biggest trends today. “The market separates into a small form factor, foldable, easy to use, very fast to deploy with a highly integrated mission capability. This is the route for personal drone equipment in short-range operations. Alongside them are platforms that are multi-sensor capable, with hot-swap payload capabilities, which can be configured for a task and a mission. Another very important trend is data security and data privacy, as can be observed in the public sector and the defense industry. Third is electronic robustness, meaning that the drone has the capability to operate in a highly electronic polluted area without interference.
“Another trend is systems that are configurable not only on the payload side but also for communication links, battery systems, redundancy of core systems, display units, and level of navigation precision. There is also a strong requirement to fly BVLOS operations safely within the airspace to overcome longer distances and to inspect larger areas. Last but not least, there is a strong requirement for standardization of systems from one supplier to make fleet management and training easier.”
According to Schamuhn, the company places great emphasis on data privacy. “We are at no time connected to the drone or have any access to the data of the drone or its payload. For us, this is a big red line,” he stresses. “Data belongs to the operator and to nobody else. Even for our software updates, we respect the absolute privacy policy of data. Secondly, we are an open-source system which is based on PX4 and also a standardized hardware interface which allows third-party applications and hardware to get easily integrated into the system.
“We have a formal certification process for third-party manufacturers who can get their solution certified by Yuneec so that operators are sure this works and provides full warranty. Our system allows, through hot-swapping, to change payloads in seconds. The H520 uses its own ground station instead of standard consumer electronics to display, store, and analyze data. This adds to the data security concept.
“We also offer multiple communication options together with partners, which also include state-of-the-art encryption capabilities. Finally, we are able to modify and configure software and interfaces through our research lab in Zurich. We run our system with software made in Switzerland, a quality statement by itself.”
The Goal: Encrypted Communication
Yuneec International recently partnered with Israeli company Mobilicom to integrate encrypted LTE communications capabilities into some of its models.
According to Schamuhn, this partnership strengthened the company’s market position. “It is a lively cooperation with a lot of potential to develop state-of-the-art communication systems for drones. The Mobilicom solution provides us with a lot of options allowing us to fulfill customers’ specific needs. The technologies of both companies merge nicely together, providing state-of-the-art solutions which are customizable in a way that is unique in our market segment. We are sure that Mobilicom will be a key element in our commercial strategy which will allow us to grow fast.
Asked about how the company deals with the supervision of dual-use technology export, Schamuhn says, “We have to be very mindful in choosing where we operate on the globe and who our customers are. We are going through as many due diligence cycles as possible to reduce the possibility that our technology gets into the wrong hands or is being used for the wrong purpose. But for sure there is always insecurity here.”
How can a customer economically justify investing in customized solutions when there are high-quality COTS products?
“Yuneec is a manufacturer that offers an open-source product based on PX4 which is customizable within limits. But our core system is highly standardized. This allows us to produce it efficiently and offer solutions with a favorable level of investment and an effective return of investment for the operators. Our platform is capable of a wide array of applications and verticals,” explains Schamuhn.
“Yuneec’s commercial product system is based on five columns, which can be mixed and matched to suit the needs of an operator. Column one is the carrier like H520, Mantis, Typhoon H or H920. Column two is payloads like E90 RGB, E10T Thermal, or E10Tv. Third is navigation like the RTK solutions for example. Number four is software with our own Data Pilot, Data Pilot Deluxe, third-party mapping, maintenance and fleet management software. And last but not least which is communication and data link like WIFI, OFDM, Skyhopper, LTE, and others. This allows customization within the Yuneec commercial toolbox. Obviously, we are capable of going to individual customization but, in general, this makes systems more expensive and the maintenance of these systems is huge.”
Addressing the Cyber Threat
“Cyber threat is a topic that needs to get addressed quickly,” argues Schamuhn. “Especially in safety and security applications, we need to take care of effective countermeasures. Our partnership with Mobilicom is of great use here and will bring substantial advantages to our system.
While Yuneec is a big player in the multi-rotor drone industry, the market is largely dominated by rival DJI. I was interested in getting Schamuhn’s opinion on his biggest competitor. “It is not relevant what we think of them,” he answered in a somewhat PC manner. “We at Yuneec focus on ourselves and our customers. We are open source and we offer privacy and security. These attributes will allow us to grow. These attributes have convinced a lot of customers to choose us before considering anybody else. It is very different than sitting in an ‘eggshell’ closed system.”
What are your plans for the Israeli market?
“We are very happy that we were able to develop relationships with Israeli companies and potential customers. Israel is a leading country in the UAV and robotics industry. We are moving forward to develop our relationships and develop products for our open-source platform, especially in Israel. We already learned a lot, and we are sure there is much more to explore,” concluded Schamuhn.
