Photo: Dufour Aerospace
A young aviation company in Australia is betting on next-generation aircraft for the future of air transportation for both people and cargo, with two main focus points – speed and affordability.
V-STAR Power Lift Aviation is the name of a young company that resulted from the merger of two businesses in South Australia, headed by three professionals with experience in defense, commercial, and search and rescue operations. The venture’s future fleet will include both manned and unmanned aircraft, with one thing in common - the tilt-wing design.
The aircraft were designed by the Swiss manufacturer Dufour Aerospace, culminating with the Aero3, an eight-seat hybrid aircraft. The tilt-wing aerodynamic concept is meant to blend the advantages of helicopters and airplanes. For example, this type of aircraft can take off and land on limited areas, with not much space available, while still boasting the long range and high speed of an airliner.
Cruising at 215 mph (350 kph) and capable of covering up to 630 miles (1,020 km) during a flight, the Aero3 boasts six electric propellers across its main wing, plus two smaller ones at the tail. According to the Swiss manufacturer, it will initially include a conventional turbine for hybrid operations but is expected to transition to hydrogen fuel cells in the near future.
Also, at firs,t it will only carry out Air Ambulance plus Search and Rescue missions, as a better alternative to helicopters but it’s meant to eventually operate as an eco-friendly passenger aircraft. The reason behind that is the current lack of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) infrastructure.
Dufour is also currently testing Aero2, which is the unmanned version of its tilt-wing hybrid aircraft, also meant to operate as an Air Ambulance.
This new collaboration ensures the Australian’s venture “early access” to both Swiss developers’ tilt-wing designs, expected to start operating by 2025.
The aircraft were designed by the Swiss manufacturer Dufour Aerospace, culminating with the Aero3, an eight-seat hybrid aircraft. The tilt-wing aerodynamic concept is meant to blend the advantages of helicopters and airplanes. For example, this type of aircraft can take off and land on limited areas, with not much space available, while still boasting the long range and high speed of an airliner.
Cruising at 215 mph (350 kph) and capable of covering up to 630 miles (1,020 km) during a flight, the Aero3 boasts six electric propellers across its main wing, plus two smaller ones at the tail. According to the Swiss manufacturer, it will initially include a conventional turbine for hybrid operations but is expected to transition to hydrogen fuel cells in the near future.
Also, at firs,t it will only carry out Air Ambulance plus Search and Rescue missions, as a better alternative to helicopters but it’s meant to eventually operate as an eco-friendly passenger aircraft. The reason behind that is the current lack of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) infrastructure.
Dufour is also currently testing Aero2, which is the unmanned version of its tilt-wing hybrid aircraft, also meant to operate as an Air Ambulance.
This new collaboration ensures the Australian’s venture “early access” to both Swiss developers’ tilt-wing designs, expected to start operating by 2025.
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