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Wingcopter: US medical flight service Spright relies on drone fleet
The delivery drone company Wingcopter and Spright, a subsidiary of the American medical flight services provider Air Methods, have announced a new purchase agreement worth more than $16 million. With this agreement, Spright acquires a large fleet of Wingcopter's latest model, the Wingcopter 198, to meet the growing demand for medical drone deliveries in the United States. The agreement makes Wingcopter the exclusive supplier of eVTOL fixed-wing delivery drones for Spright for nationwide use in the USA. In return, Spright will become the exclusive provider of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for the Wingcopter 198 for other American companies.
Drone Delivery for Hundreds of Hospitals
Spright was founded in July 2020 as a new drone division of Air Methods to improve access to healthcare and minimize supply issues for customers in the USA. To this end, Spright is building a drone-based, health-specific delivery network that can rely on an existing infrastructure of more than 300 locations that serve hundreds of hospitals in 48 states, primarily in rural areas of the United States.
According to a press release, the agreement deepens the strategic partnership announced between the two companies in August 2021. Spright is closely supporting Wingcopter in the certification process with the American aviation authority FAA for the Wingcopter 198. In doing so, the Spright team leverages its experience in operating FAA-121 and 135 aircraft, its existing Part 135 operating authorization (on-demand flight services), the SMS program (Safety Management System), and its long-standing relationships with the FAA.
Vital medical supplies
Spright is partnering for initial tests with the Hutchinson Regional Health System in Hutchinson, Kansas, and plans to expand the service later this year with additional strategic projects in the medical field beyond Kansas. The Wingcopter fleet will improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved communities by enabling the immediate and on-demand transport of vital medical supplies, medications, vaccines, blood, and laboratory samples between medical facilities. Furthermore, it will enhance the quality of patient care as laboratory sample results will be available faster, allowing for more targeted treatment of patients. Another advantage is that the electrically powered Wingcopter delivery drones reduce the healthcare sector's carbon footprint and contribute to greener and more sustainable supply chains with faster and more predictable delivery times.
Joseph Resnik, President of Spright, comments: “We are excited to have Wingcopter as our partner for aircraft technology on board. With their industry-leading eVTOL aircraft design, Wingcopter brings the necessary maturity to meet the complex and diverse demands of the U.S. healthcare market. We are confident that our combined strengths will produce innovative, time-saving solutions that meet the needs of our customers and their communities.”
Tom Plümmer, Co-Founder and CEO of Wingcopter, adds: "This commercial multi-million dollar agreement with Spright is clear evidence that the Wingcopter 198 has a perfect product-market fit. We are proud to enable large-scale drone deliveries in the United States with such a strong partnership."
The projected annual growth rate (CAGR) for the drone delivery market of more than 50 percent to a total volume of nearly 40 billion US dollars by 2030 underscores the rapid establishment of eVTOL technology for last-mile logistics.
Translated automatically from German.
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