Aska has been selected for Cohort 6 of Hatch’s Dimension X global open innovation challenge. Hatch is the innovation centre of HTX, Singapore’s Home Team Science and Technology Agency. The programme will explore how the Aska A5 hybrid-electric drive-and-fly VTOL can help reduce emergency response times across Singapore’s 64 islands.

Dense terrain, limited landing areas, narrow roads and overhead obstacles create major challenges for traditional eVTOLs or helicopters, which cannot land in many locations. These vehicles also require dedicated vertiports and ambulance transfers at both ends. The Aska A5 can take off and land vertically, then fold its wings and drive on the road, eliminating two ambulance legs per mission.

This approach can improve survival rates by cutting time to care and freeing up emergency resources. It can also reduce personnel exposure and operating costs. Singapore handles up to 200,000 evacuations and first responder events each year, and Aska says even limited adoption could shorten evacuation time by 35 per cent.

The U.S. Department of War has identified similar needs for VTOL logistics in distributed and contested environments, making Aska’s selection relevant to Indo-Pacific operational demands.

Dimension X sources dual-use technologies that support public safety. Only 66 start-ups have been selected since 2023, from more than 1,300 applicants.