Wingcopter is used in US air rescue operations

The German drone manufacturer is to support the USA's leading air rescue service, Air Methods, at 400 locations. The Hesse-based company is supplying its Wingcopter 198 for this purpose.

The German drone start-up Wingcopter has secured a major customer. The leading air rescue company in the USA, Air Methods, is joining forces with Wingcopter to establish Spright, a new business unit designed to improve the supply situation in the USA. There is no information about the order volume. Together, the two partners want to build a nationwide network of rescue infrastructure. Air Methods is represented at more than 300 locations in 49 states. Spright is launching a pilot project in Kansas this fall.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated some of the major challenges facing our healthcare system, creating an opportunity to find better solutions for access to healthcare, especially in rural America," said JaeLynn Williams, CEO of Air Methods. According to a joint statement, the German start-up impressed the Americans with both the technology and the necessary production capacities in Weiterstadt.

Wingcopter is providing its latest class of drone, the Wingcopter 198, which can fly up to 110 kilometers at a top speed of 145 kilometers per hour. "We are thrilled to partner with Air Methods to build this life-saving delivery drone network in the U.S.," said Tom Plümmer, co-founder and CEO of Wingcopter. "Our technology has already been successfully deployed around the world to effectively deliver medical supplies, including insulin in Ireland, pediatric vaccines in Vanuatu, emergency medications in Malawi, and most recently, blood samples in Germany."