►CSG Enters the Unmanned Aerial Systems Segment through AviaNera
The industrial-technology group CSG, owned by Czech entrepreneur Michal Strnad, is expanding its activities into advanced weapon systems and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The newly established company AviaNera Technologies a.s. (AviaNera) will play a key role in this segment, bringing together development, production, and sales of UAS technologies. From the outset, AviaNera will work in close partnership with Excalibur International a.s., CSG’s leading trading agency, which sells CSG and partner products worldwide and has extensive experience in managing complex projects in advanced defence systems.
“Our goal is to become a major player in the field of military UAS and advanced weapon systems. Just as we managed to build a strong position in small-calibre ammunition within a few years, we aim to achieve something similar in high-tech defence technologies,” says Michal Strnad, owner and CEO of CSG.
“Thanks to the close integration of Excalibur International’s activities with AviaNera, an experienced commercial and project team – already trading in UAS technologies and delivering defence projects worth hundreds of millions of euros – will drive CSG’s growth in this segment from day one. What is new is that we will now be able to offer customers our own UAS systems developed and manufactured in-house,” adds Miloš Šivara, CEO of Excalibur International.
AviaNera to be led by Pavel Čechal
The company will be headed by Pavel Čechal, an experienced manager who joined CSG from the position of Executive Director at PBS Group. Under his leadership, AviaNera is focusing on rapidly building development and production capabilities for UAS and their key components. “As in other fields, we are striving for maximum vertical integration so we can supply customers with final products and complete systems developed and manufactured directly by us. We will make full use of synergies with other CSG companies, for example in ammunition production or software solutions for drone operations,” explains Čechal.
The AviaNera team is currently negotiating several acquisitions of promising European companies and forging partnerships in Ukraine, which is today a key hub for the development of military UAS technologies. The company’s top priority is the development and production of propulsion units for unmanned aerial vehicles – jet, turbofan, and shaft engines.
The name AviaNera symbolically refers to the aviation heritage of Letňany’s Avia and at the same time expresses the beginning of a new era in unmanned technologies. “A breakthrough period is coming in aviation. In the future, virtually every mission now handled by manned aircraft can be performed using UAS. The obstacles are no longer technological, but rather regulatory,” adds Čechal.
Given the expected dynamic growth of the defence UAS market and the rising demand for high-performance, compact, and efficient propulsion systems, this segment offers exceptional market potential. “AviaNera has a strategic opportunity to become a key supplier of next-generation propulsion units for military unmanned applications,” concludes Čechal.
