"We will make a leap forward as a drone solution company that encompasses the county head, civilian, and global."
"Based on modular design and localization technology, we will secure a large-scale demand-based mass production system and expand our overseas expansion and foundation," said Lee Jong-kyung, CEO of PRENEU, at the "Korea Investment Week" held at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul on the 18th.
Founded in 2017, PRENEU is a drone manufacturing company. It directly designs and manufactures autonomous cognitive-based task-performing drones. It has secured differentiated competitiveness by developing its own avionics and field systems required for drones.
PRENEU is developing small drones weighing less than 25 kilograms. It has a variety of products, including VTOL fixed-wing aircraft that can take off and land vertically, multicopter-type reconnaissance drones, and military-only helicopter-type drones. Helicopter-type drones are about to be deployed as they can not only conduct reconnaissance but also drop bombs.
The global drone market is expected to expand to 74 trillion won by 2030. The domestic drone market is also expected to increase by 16.1% annually from 2020, reaching 2 trillion won in Korea in 2030.
In the domestic drone market, the defense sector is expected to account for about 60% of the total market. PRENEU is also prominent in the defense sector.
CEO Lee said, "We are developing reconnaissance and attack drones through the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's rapid research and development project and delivering hundreds of drones to the military to electrify them," adding, "The process of weaponizing drones in Korea is still in its early stages, so the potential growth is great."
Cases of application are also accumulating in the private market. PRENEU drones are being used in various areas such as tuna detection of Pacific fishing boats, tracking building mutations, and marine detection.
Global demand is also growing. "The opportunities for domestic drones are expanding due to the spread of Chinese parts restrictions in the global market," CEO Lee said. "As the government is implementing policies to leap our drone technology competitiveness to the world's fifth place by 2032, we will keep pace with this."
The key differentiation of PRENEU is modular design and localization. It will develop not only drone aircraft but also avionics systems, communication and encryption equipment, and power management devices.
CEO Lee said, "We have secured the scalability and connection of various drones and mission devices due to the optimization of modular-based design and the establishment of an integrated module system," adding, "We provide a comprehensive drone management system with AI-based real-time data and environmental analysis to ensure effective drone control and integrated operability."
PRENEU plans to expand its technology proven by defense drones to Minsu and overseas markets. To this end, more than 4 billion won has been invested in research and development every year. Recently, drones are being advanced by incorporating AI-based diagnostic and autonomous flight functions.
CEO Lee explained, "Like automobiles, it is not yet in the perfect autonomous driving stage, but we have implemented a level of autonomous flight that can be used in military operations and civilian sites."
The company is targeting an IPO within the next two years. CEO Lee said, "We plan to secure R&D funds stably through IPO and actively enter the global market," adding, "We are seeking various measures such as establishing joint ventures, securing local partners, and establishing local production facilities."
PRENEU is also seeking to transform itself into a 'drone platform company' beyond simple manufacturing. It plans to provide AI analysis and control services by integrating images and data from drones into cloud-based platforms. It plans to pay for one-stop service that covers MRO (maintenance and parts management) starting next year.
Source : The Korean economy (https://n.news.naver.com/article/015/0005186891)