Dufour Aerospace sells 140 of its innovative eVTOL towards emergency medical services

US leading provider of helicopter emergency medical services, Spright, and Dufour Aerospace, have announced the purchase by Spright of 40 Aero2 with options for an additional 100 aircrafts.

Dufour Aerospace develops efficient and ecological aircraft for patient and passenger transport, logistics and public safety. The Valais-based company relies on the tilt-wing principle: the tilt-wing aircraft which are currently under development, take-off and land vertically in the smallest space like a helicopter, but fly as fast and economically as an airplane. While the propellers are electrically driven, hybrid elements (conventional combustion engines or fuel cells) ensure a sufficiently long range.

The first product Dufour Aerospace has launched is the Aero2, an unmanned aerial vehicle specifically designed for the transportation of critical cargo such as medical supplies of up to 40 kilograms/88 pounds in medium to long range distances. The manned Aero3, featuring a spacious cabin with eight seats and large doors, is the next aircraft currently being developed.

Spright, the drone division of Air Methods, a US-based leading provider of helicopter emergency medical services, and Dufour Aerospace, have announced the purchase by Spright of 40 Aero2 with options for an additional 100 aircrafts. This cooperation and sales agreement represents the largest commitment by an operator to date for the Aero2 design, and one of the largest civilian unmanned aerial vehicles purchases in US history.

“Dufour Aerospace has developed an impressive Swiss Army Knife for unmanned air mobility that will meet our anticipated future needs. With today’s announcement, we demonstrate our commitment to their vision and to their technological approach, in which we are proud to be the first operator in the US,” said Joseph Resnik, President of Spright. “This is a multi-year and multimillion-dollar commitment by Spright and it will enable us to serve the critical goods distribution markets efficiently.”

A significant milestone for advanced air mobility

The Dufour Aero2 aircraft expands Spright’s opportunity to serve the healthcare community by carrying heavier payload over longer distances. This translates to more patient samples, larger tissue specimens and organs, and heavier supplies and equipment being transported with the on-demand speed and efficiency that is unique to drone delivery.

“We are delighted by the confidence shown by Spright in Dufour Aerospace, evidenced by today’s purchase announcement for the Aero2,” said Thomas Pfammatter, CEO of Dufour Aerospace. “Our partnership, which extends far beyond unit sales of Aero2, is a significant milestone for us in our development of tilt-wing, unmanned and manned products for advanced air mobility. Spright’s commitment shows that there is great market potential for Aero2 for safe and efficient medium and long-range operations with unmanned aerial vehicles.”