The Rotorcraft Asia 2019 and Unmanned Systems Asia 2019, the region’s first integrated platform for rotorcraft and unmanned systems, received exceptional response and participation from the breadth of leading industry companies and experts, regulators and top executives, establishing the shows as marquee events, critical to propelling the region’s growth in rotorcraft and unmanned systems.
Held from 9 to 11 April, the second edition hosted over 3,500 trade attendees from 62 countries, of which 27 percent attendees were from overseas. The attendees engaged in high-quality discussions on industry challenges, showcased innovative solutions in urban mobility, and forged strategic partnerships to unlock and drive the industry’s growth potential in the region.
“These second editions of Rotorcraft Asia and Unmanned Systems Asia has reinforced Singapore’s position as the leader in providing key strategic platforms for the region’s rotorcraft and unmanned systems industries to converge, forge partnerships and tap into the markets’ burgeoning growth potential”, said Mr Leck Chet Lam, Managing Director, Experia Events. “We are encouraged by the positive response to the events and the fact that key industry players are looking at Rotorcraft Asia and Unmanned Systems Asia as the region’s must-attend events and key touch point with its offering of business collaborations, thought leadership conferences and networking opportunities. We will continue to have a pulse on the industry and bring more exciting dimensions to the future editions.”
Fuelling the Next Growth Industry in Urban Mobility
This year’s Rotorcraft Asia and Unmanned Systems Asia debuted the Urban Mobility Showcase, Asia Pacific’s first platform dedicated to showcasing cutting edge electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) technologies and innovations. Key highlights included the unveiling of Volocopter’s fully eVTOL aircraft that is capable of transporting two passengers for about 30km, as well as the Drone Operations Centre developed by Garuda Robotics and the FutureFlight Consortium to enable drone operations in security and delivery applications, which made its first public appearance at the Singapore Pavilion.
Commercially, the event has facilitated some 370 strategic meetings between VIP buyers, visitors and exhibitors. These included public sector representatives from the Royal Brunei Technical Services, Ministry of National Defense of Cambodia, Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia, Royal Malaysia Police, South Korea Defence Acquisition Program Administration and the Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock & Irrigation. From the commercial side, participants included Aerohawk Air Sdn Bhd, BP Oil & Energy, Heliservices Ltd, Philjets Aero Services Inc., Pelita Air Service and the Royal Bhutan Helicopter Services.
“We are very focused on specific products because we are at a point where we are ready to acquire them for our business needs. Being in the VIP Buyers Programme is very beneficial as we were able to get a first-hand look at what was trending and what was available. Hence Rotorcraft Asia and Unmanned Systems Asia is a strategic channel for efficient business matching as we were able to connect with the right suppliers and manufacturing outfits”, said P. Surendra Singam, Managing Director of Aerohawk Air Sdn Bhd.
Catalyst for Strategic Partnerships Across the Region
Rotorcraft Asia and Unmanned Systems Asia also saw the announcement of several significant collaborations, affirming its position as an effective strategic platform of choice for leading industry companies, solutions providers and innovators from across the industry.
Key announcements made at the events include the upcoming launch of ‘The Singapore UAS Community’ by the Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore) with the support of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Enterprise Singapore, which will serve as the voice of the UAS industry and support continued growth in Singapore. Additionally, AeroLion Technologies and Surbana Jurong have joined hands to develop unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies, or drone solutions, for built and natural environments. Under a memorandum of understanding, the parties will develop UAV solutions for project applications such as land reclamation, workplace safety, site progression and fault detection in enclosed areas such as building and tunnels.
On the rotorcraft side, Luxaviation Helicopters had announced that Philippines-based helicopter charter operator PhilJets will join as the latest member of the group’s Helicopters Charter Alliance. This integration will complement the alliance’s existing global capabilities and provide members with VIP helicopter charter access in the Asia Pacific region.
Ten innovative showcases were also presented at What’s Next, a joint strategic platform where start-ups had the opportunity to showcase their capabilities and pitch business ideas and offerings to investors, accelerator and corporate partners. Some of the highlights include multi fusion sensor proprietary technology for high precision infrastructure inspection and real-time accuracy developed by the winning team from BrashTech, as well as the exciting showcase by NimbusUAV, a local start-up, which specialises in offering custom-crafted purpose-built UAV platform to increase productivity and efficiency for businesses.
“There are about four million infrastructures around the world that all need inspection, real-time accuracy and speed. What we are very focused on is inventing new ideas and new technologies that can be extremely valuable to very large infrastructure companies – and there is a massive number of those”, said Brian Peace, CEO, BrashTech. Peace also added, “It is a small way for us to change the world and I feel great about winning and I was very surprised! Singapore is my home now and we are building the company here with R&D facilities. We are also planning to take the technology into different parts of the world focusing on building up our momentum with large players like Continental.”
The third edition of Rotorcraft Asia and Unmanned Systems Asia, will return on 30 March to 1 April 2021 at Changi Exhibition Centre and will continue to demonstrate industry relevance to exhibitors and visitors by anticipating market trends, introducing new features as well as offering exhibitors the opportunity to present their latest and most innovative technologies to potential buyers.
