Dufour Aerospace and Swiss Air-Rescue Rega have announced a partnership to develop an air ambulance version of Dufour’s eVTOL aircraft.
The piloted, hybrid Aero3 is designed for emergency medical services and patient transport. It uses a unique tilt-wing design. In its initial stages, Dufour will allow Rega—a nonprofit that provides emergency medical assistance to areas of Switzerland—to give input on the development of the eVTOL aircraft to better suit its air-rescue needs.
“Continuous development is in Rega’s DNA,” Rega CEO Ernst Kohler said in a news release. “The Aero3 is an exceptionally interesting aircraft, and we want to support its development with our experience from 70 years of [helicopter emergency medical system] operation.”
Dufour’s previous project, the Aero2, was an unmanned, smaller version of the aircraft that was test-flown last year.
“The collaboration with Rega will challenge Dufour Aerospace and advance our product development,” said Dufour CEO Thomas Pfammatter. “… The Aero3 will meet the requirements for demanding patient transport, combining vertical take-off with sufficient load, high speed, and range. Aero3 will be more efficient, less expensive, and quieter than today’s helicopters and will integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure and systems.”
Dufour and Rega affirmed the importance of their cooperation to revitalize advanced air mobility and its availability to patients.
