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Software for the New Swiss Hybrid eVTOL With Tilt-Wing Design to Be Developed in Canada

Canada not only has a long-standing tradition in aviation and software engineering, but it’s also the second-largest helicopter market in the world. These are some of the factors that determined Swiss eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) developer Dufour Aerospace to set up a base of operations in Montreal, Quebec.
The Swiss company is developing an unmanned and a manned tilt-wing eVTOL 8 photos
Photo: Dufour Aerospace
Dufour Aerospace Opens a Facility in CanadaDufour Tilt-Wing eVTOL ConceptDufour Tilt-Wing eVTOL ConceptDufour Tilt-Wing eVTOL ConceptDufour Tilt-Wing eVTOL ConceptDufour Tilt-Wing eVTOL ConceptDufour Tilt-Wing eVTOL Concept
Back in the 1960s, the Canadair Dynavert (CL-84) was a trailblazing aircraft demonstrating the advantages of tilt-wing flight. Today, it served as an inspiration for the modern version designed by Dufour Aerospace. The Swiss company is working on two types of eVTOLs, and it wants to equip them with software systems developed right here, in Canada, where the tilt-wing aircraft legacy lives on.

The manufacturer announced that it’s gearing up to open a facility in Montreal, where it will initially hire software engineers, taking advantage of the area’s impressive talent pool.

The tilt-wing concept is said to combine the best of helicopters and airplanes. It can take off and land on very limited areas while still boasting the long range at high speeds that airplanes typically have. Dufour is applying this aerodynamic concept on two prototypes. Aero2 is the unmanned version designed for remotely-piloted operations, with the ambitious goal of becoming “tomorrow’s air ambulance.”

Aero3 takes things to a larger scale. It’s designed to become a manned aircraft with eight seats. Although the goal is for the Aero3 to become an alternative for regular passenger transportation, it will initially operate as a substitute for helicopters in Air Ambulance and Search and Rescue missions simply because the infrastructure for these types of operations is already in place, while air taxi infrastructure needs to be built from scratch.

Fitted with six electric propellers across the main wing and two smaller ones at the tail, Aero3 promises a range of 630 miles (1,020 km) at a cruising speed of 215 mph (350 kph). Dufour says that Aero3 will have a hybrid propulsion, initially with conventional turbines and potentially switching to hydrogen fuel cells later on.

The Aero2 is already undergoing flight testing in Switzerland, while the Aero3 is set to be ready for commercial operations by 2025.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
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Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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