Wingcopter supplies large fleet of drones for medical purposes

Flugapotheken Wingcopter supplies a large fleet of drones for medical purposes

Wingcopter and Spright have signed a multi-million dollar deal that will see Wingcopter drones airlift medical supplies across the United States.

German delivery drone pioneer Wingcopter and Spright, a well-known American provider of medical flight services under the umbrella of Air Methods, recently announced a US$16 million purchase agreement. This will see Spright acquire a large fleet of Wingcopter's latest delivery drone model - the Wingcopter 198. Spright needs the airborne suppliers because demand for medical drone delivery in the United States is said to be steadily increasing.

The contract effectively makes Wingcopter the exclusive provider of so-called "eVTOL" fixed-wing delivery drones for Spright for nationwide deployment in the United States ("eVTOL" means "Electrical Vertical Take-Off and Landing"). In return, Spright will become the exclusive maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider of the Wingcopter 198 to other American companies. Thanks to Spright's nationwide infrastructure, the latter could thus fall back on prompt service. It's worth it, because the projected annual growth rate (CAGR) for the drone delivery market is over 50 percent, based on a total volume of almost $40 billion by 2030.

Improvements for patients and the environment

The agreement deepens the strategic partnership between the two companies announced in August 2021. Spright is closely supporting Wingcopter in the FAA certification process for the Wingcopter 198. The Spright team draws on its extensive experience in operating FAA 121 and 135 aircraft, its existing Part 135 operating license (on-demand Airline Services), the Safety Management System (SMS) program, and his longstanding relationship with the FAA, it is revealed.

Spright is partnering with the Hutchinson Regional Health System in Hutchinson, Kansas, for initial testing. Plans are to expand the service beyond Kansas later this year with additional strategic projects in the medical field. The Wingcopter fleet will improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved communities by providing immediate, on-demand transport of essential medical supplies, medicines, vaccines, blood and laboratory samples between medical facilities.

In addition, the quality of patient care is improved because, for example, laboratory sample results are available more quickly and patients can be treated in a more targeted manner. Another benefit is that the electrically powered _Wingcopter delivery drones reduce the healthcare industry's carbon footprint and represent greener and more sustainable supply chains with faster and more predictable delivery times.

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