„Platforms such as XPONENTIAL Europe are crucial“
XPONENTIAL Europe begins in Düsseldorf in two months. Following its highly successful premiere last year, the convention-format event will be even larger this year, covering additional topics. UAV DACH is a co-host of this leading European trade show for uncrewed systems and robotics, having been involved from the outset. The event is a central pillar of the association's work and is crucial to the entire UAS industry, as Chairman Dr. Gerald Wissel emphasizes.
What needs to happen for the full potential of drones to be realised?
The work of UAV DACH is based on three pillars: informing, networking and shaping. We must invest in education and outreach to counter existing reservations and highlight the many opportunities that a strong drone economy offers for a safe and resilient Europe. This is a task that all stakeholders must tackle together and can only be solved through cooperation. Platforms such as XPONENTIAL Europe are crucial in bringing together all players in the field of autonomous systems. I am therefore very much looking forward to welcoming all relevant stakeholders and companies from across Europe in person in Düsseldorf and to shaping the future of our industry together with them.
And what can – or must – the UAS industry do to accelerate this process?
Our industry will – and must – change in the coming years. On the one hand, there will be certain consolidation phenomena, and on the other hand new players will continue to enter the market. And we need to talk about issues such as meaningful cooperation and necessary professionalisation. Start-ups and spin-offs from the university environment, where innovative technologies are developed, are gradually becoming larger companies that have to scale up from single-unit production to large quantities – with all the challenges that entails. A manufacturer of drones will not take on operations and maintenance in future but will leave this field to professional service providers. At UAV DACH, we are committed to helping shape this process for the benefit of our members and the industry. And XPONENTIAL Europe is the perfect place to drive these efforts forward.
XPONENTIAL Europe will be expanded to include the topic of “Defense” in 2026. What do you at UAV DACH expect to gain from this?
Basically, we are talking about two ends of the same spectrum. The boundaries between civilian and military use of unmanned systems are fluid. And dual-use technologies are, by definition, located in the middle of that spectrum. What we need in Germany and Europe, therefore, is exchange between industry and users – regardless of the subsequent operating scenario. From the outset, XPONENTIAL Europe has shown that, as the leading trade fair for autonomous systems, it is the ideal platform for bringing all stakeholders together. This step is therefore a logical one. As co-hosts, we fully support the initiative and expect it to have a positive effect on the development of the entire European UAS/AAM industry.
The full interview with Dr. Gerald Wissel was published in XPONENTIAL Europe magazine.
Image: Messe Düsseldorf / ctillmann
