Sweden-based Savback Helicopters, the expanding helicopter sales and marketing company and Swiss eVTOL company Dufour Aerospace have signed a distribution agreement for Dufour’s innovative eVTOL aircraft. The company will represent Dufour in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. With the partnership, Dufour secures access to feedback and information on customer needs for the development of its tilt-wing aircraft.
Based in Visp, Switzerland Dufour Aerospace develops efficient and ecological aircraft for patient and passenger transport, logistics and public safety. Its aircrafts Aero2 and Aero3 use a tilt-wing principle: they take off and land vertically in the smallest space like a helicopter, but fly as fast and economically as an aeroplane. While the propellers are electrically driven, hybrid elements such as conventional turbines or fuel cells ensure a sufficiently long-range (hybrid propulsion).
While Aero2, an unmanned small aircraft, is currently in the second prototype phase with a product launch anticipated to start in the next two years, Aero3 is still in the early stage of development.
Aero3 is the first of its kind to feature a tilt-wing design with exceptional space, load, and range for emergency medical services (EMS) and patient transport. It has a maximum take-off weight of 2800kg (6173 lbs), a useable weight of 750kg (1653 lbs), a maximum speed of 350 km/h (189 knots) and a range of 1020 km (551 nm). The aircraft is being designed to meet EASA's SC-VTOL (Special Condition for VTOL) standards, making use of a hybrid-electric propulsion system to meet the requirements of operators in multi-platforms.
The startup has entered a distribution agreement with Sweden based Savback Helicopters to exclusively represent Dufour Aerospace's 8-seater Aero3 in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. Savback Helicopters boasts over 30 years of experience selling helicopters and provides a significant knowledge of user cases and market prospects coming into the vertical lift market.
According to Sascha Hardegger, Chief Commercial Officer, this partnership will allow Dufour to obtain information on customer needs, which will be valuable in the product development of Aero3.
This announcement comes ahead of Dufour Aerospace’s ongoing financing round to support the next steps, including product developments and flights tests. The startup has previously obtained investment from investors including session.vc and a German private investor.
(Press release/RAN)
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