Dufour Aerospace AG and RUAG AG today announced they will begin cooperation on the development of Aero2. The Aero2 is Dufour's unmanned aerial vehicle that can take-off and land vertically like a helicopter, but flies as fast and as energy efficient as a fixed wing aircraft. RUAG will initially provide engineering services to Dufour; the partnership is intended to develop into a long-term strategic partnership in the field of development, manufacture and maintenance of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) and components. The partnership will enable both companies to exchange technology and know-how in order to establish successful products and services in the market.

RUAG will assist with the design and testing of the structure of the aircraft, the further development and testing of the propulsion system, and the development and integration of avionics and automated flight systems.

Thomas Kipfer, Senior Vice President of RUAG Business Area Air: "We are excited to start working with Dufour Aerospace. There is the potential for numerous synergies between Dufour and RUAG. We believe the eVTOL market will be transformational for manned and unmanned aviation, and we've been looking for an OEM partner to further develop and apply our technology and expertise for this market. With Dufour we've found a company with credible technology in an advanced development stage, a strong team and a clear plan to become a key player in this market."

Thomas Pfammatter, CEO and co-founder of Dufour Aerospace, said: "This cooperation with RUAG is an important milestone for Dufour Aerospace. With their experience and knowledge, RUAG can support our development programs in multiple areas. RUAG is a leader in aeronautical engineering, they have state-of-the-art infrastructure, and a great team of innovative and dedicated engineers. We are very pleased that RUAG believes in the future of hybrid-electric tilt-wing aircraft."