On January 8, 2023, the 2023 National UAV and Unmanned Systems Industry Spring Festival Celebration Conference and the 8th UAV Hundred - People Conference was held at Caesar Palace, Window of the World, Shenzhen. The event was sponsored by the Shenzhen UAV Industry Association, the Organizing Committee of the World UAV Conference, and the International Joint Research Center for Precision Agriculture Aviation Application Technology. It was co-sponsored by Wuhan High Core Technology Co., Ltd. and Tianjin Industry Education City Group Co., Ltd. With the support of the National UAV Association Cooperation Platform, Shenzhen Zhong'an Unmanned System Research Institute, and the International Unmanned System Network, the conference was themed “Focusing on the Construction of Low-Altitude Route Network and Innovating the Intelligent Application of UAVs”. Industry giants gathered to jointly discuss the development and future of the UAV industry!

Through the annual selection, the organizing committee awarded the “China Top Ten Innovative Brands Award in UAV Industry”, “China Leader Award in UAV Industry”, “China Craftsman Figure Award in UAV Industry” and other awards to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the development of China's UAV industry, highlighting the industry elites and promoting industrial progress. Among them, Honeycomb Aerospace Technologies (Beijing) Co., Ltd. won the “2022 China Top Ten Innovative Brands Award in UAV Industry”. Additionally, Li Wei, the chairman of Honeycomb Aerospace Technologies (Beijing) Co., Ltd., won the “2022 China Leader Award in UAV Industry”.

Chen Guohua, Secretary General of China Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Lan Yubin, Academician of the European Academy of Sciences and Director of the International Joint Research Center for Precision Agriculture Aeronautical Application Technology, Sun Dan, President of Shenzhen Smart City Industry Association, Global Senior Vice President and China President of Seagate Technology, Yang Jincai, Academician of the European Academy of Sciences, President of the World UAV Congress and founding president of Shenzhen UAV Industry Association, and other relevant leaders, experts, scholars and entrepreneur representatives from several provinces and cities attended the conference, and conducted in-depth discussions on the focus issues of the UAV industry of common concern.

President Yang Jincai said in his speech that over the past three years, most of the epidemic prevention and control policies that have affected our travel and economic development have been lifted. We've ushered in both a new economic landscape and an era of coexistence with COVID-19. Currently, the global order is entering a new phase of adjustment. Digital technologies are being deeply integrated into production and daily life, and the pandemic will accelerate the full-scale penetration of the digital economy. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has charted a grand blueprint for comprehensively advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese modernization. China’s economy is shifting from high-speed growth to high - quality development, creating more strategic opportunities for the drone industry. Looking back on the arduous journey, the Shenzhen UAV Association has achieved remarkable results, thanks to the dedication of all its members, the support of society, and the care of domestic and overseas friends.

At present, the Association has 553 member enterprises and 14 professional committees, including the UAV Expert Committee, UAV Standard Committee and UAV Racing Committee. It has established contacts with UAV industry organizations in more than 40 countries and regions worldwide. From 2017 to 2022, the Association held six World UAV Conferences and seven UAV exhibitions. In particular, the 2022 World UAV Conference faced formidable challenges due to epidemic prevention and control measures. Despite these challenges, a main forum, over 30 sub-forums, an exhibition covering 20,000 square meters, as well as UAV displays and racing competitions were successfully held.

Although the pandemic had a substantial impact on the development of the UAV industry, everyone looked for opportunities amidst the crisis. In fact, the pandemic became a new starting point for the UAV sector. During both epidemic prevention and control efforts and the resumption of work and production, the application of digitalization and intelligent technologies spurred extensive and in - depth demands for the UAV industry across various sectors. According to the Association's statistics, in 2022, there were over 12,000 UAV enterprises nationwide. Their combined annual output value exceeded 117 billion yuan. Shenzhen was home to more than 1,300 UAV enterprises, with an annual output value of over 75 billion yuan, registering an annual growth rate of more than 30%.

Liao Xiaohan, Director of the Key Laboratory of Civil Aviation Low-altitude Geographic Information and Airway of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Director of the UAV Application and Control Research Center of CAS, and Researcher of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of CAS, delivered a wonderful speech themed "Low-altitude Economic Development and Low-altitude Airway Network Infrastructure Construction". He made a summary by introducing the proposal and development momentum of the low-altitude economy, the large-scale, operational and multi-scenario applications of UAVs, the technological and policy environment for the construction of the UAV operation airway network, the construction content of urban traffic airway network infrastructure for UAV operation, and the considerations on the implementation of the "Heavenly Route in the Sky" scheme. Director Liao Xiaohan believes that the low-altitude economic "artery" airway network, driven by application demands and supported by technologies, resources and policies, is expected to gain experience and achieve important results in the planning and layout of low-altitude traffic airway network infrastructure.

To facilitate the sustainable and high-quality development of UAV enterprises, honor those contributing significantly to the development of China's UAV industry, spotlight industry elites, and drive industrial progress, the organizing committee launched selection campaigns for the “China Top Ten Innovative Brands Award in UAV Industry”, “China Leader Award in UAV Industry”, “China Craftsman Figure Award in UAV Industry” and so on. After intense competition and careful screening, the results list was announced successively.

Honeycomb Aerospace Technologies (Beijing) Co., Ltd. won the 2022 China Top Ten Innovative Brands Award in UAV Industry (representative second from the right)

Li Wei, Chairman of Honeycomb Aerospace Technologies (Beijing) Co., Ltd., won the 2022 China Leader Award in UAV Industry (tenth from the right)

Since its establishment in 2015, Honeycomb Aerospace has consistently dedicated itself to providing high-quality, reliable, and practical UAV systems and solutions to industry users. Adhering to the philosophy of putting users first, being pragmatic, pursuing continuous learning, and fostering innovation, the company centers on independent development, design, production, sales, technical training, and after-sales service. It has accumulated a wealth of scientific research achievements and related technologies, gradually establishing a series of industrial-application UAVs, airborne equipment, and other products with independent intellectual property rights.

The company has a highly cohesive and innovative R&D team, led by top-tier technical experts. Many team members have extensive R&D experience from large state-owned enterprises. The technical team brings together professional talents from renowned aviation institutions, including Moscow Aviation Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology, Beihang University and Northwestern Polytechnical University. It also includes technical experts from key organizations such as Aviation Industry Corporation of China, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation. The company’s products have found extensive applications across multiple sectors, such as border and coastal defense, smart security, comprehensive inspections, emergency response, and smart cities.

Receiving this honor affirms Honeycomb Aerospace's contributions to the UAV sector over the past year. Motivated by this achievement, the company will continue innovating to meet inspection requirements across various scenarios. As it moves forward, Honeycomb Aerospace will stay abreast of global trends in advanced UAV technologies, driving digital transformation and intelligent upgrades within the industry, and propelling its innovative development.