Swiss Company Dufour Aerospace has published specification details on the Aero3, its flagship product. The Aero3 is a VTOL tilt-wing aircraft that will combine space, load and range for various transportation missions including most standard helicopter applications. The piloted, multi-purpose hybrid aircraft is a successor to the unmanned demonstrator aircraft test flown by Dufour Aerospace since 2020.

The Aero3 will feature a decentralised electric main propulsion system of eight motors powering six propellers fixed to the main tilt-wing and two smaller tail propellers. Its large cabin and wide doors allow for a six or eight-seat configuration and offer enough space for patient or cargo transport. The design features a cruising speed of 350 km/h (189 knots) and a range of up to 1020 km (551 nautical miles).

“The tilt-wing design of the Aero3 combines the best of the worlds of helicopters and airplanes; the ability to take off and land like a helicopter and the efficiency and speed of an airplane in cruise flight." Thomas Pfammatter, CEO and co-founder of Dufour Aerospace says. "But even while these markets are in their infancy, our product will replace a significant number of today's light and medium helicopters, as it meets the requirements of today's operations at much lower costs, it is more sustainable and will be much quieter. It will seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure and airspace.”

“Our test flights with a large-scale demonstrator and the wind tunnel tests have clearly confirmed the exceptional performance and versatility of the tilt-wing design,” says Jasmine Kent, CTO and co-founder of Dufour Aerospace. “The results met our high expectations. Now three years into our tilt-wing development programme, we are confident that this aircraft can be built successfully to meet certification requirements.”