Dufour Aerospace, a Swiss aircraft developer, has published specification details on its flagship product the Aero3. The piloted, multi-purpose hybrid aircraft is a successor to the unmanned demonstrator aircraft test flown by Dufour Aerospace since 2020.

The Aero3 is a VTOL tilt-wing aircraft that combines space, load and range for various transportation missions. It 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 6 or 8-seat configurations and offers 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).

"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. The tilt-wing is a proven aerodynamic concept with a long history of thousands of flight hours in several projects, such as the inspirational Canadair CL-84, so there are fewer risks than with other VTOL concepts. Now three years into our tilt-wing development programme, we are confident that this aircraft can be built successfully to meet certification requirements."

Thomas Pfammatter, CEO and Co-founder of Dufour Aerospace adds: "The tilt-wing design of 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. It is the perfect tool to serve future Advanced Air Mobility markets because it is efficient and safe. 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, more sustainable and will be much quieter. It will seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure and airspace."

While Aero3 is the flagship of Dufour Aerospace's tilt-wing product family, the Swiss company is simultaneously working on a smaller, unmanned aircraft named Aero2, using the same aerodynamic and technical principles. Aero2 is designed for logistics applications, inspection, monitoring, mapping and public safety tasks.