Dufour Aerospace and RUAG to begin cooperation on unmanned aerial vehicles

Zurich, October 5, 2022: 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."

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About RUAG
For sovereign security. At RUAG we make a significant contribution to Swiss security. As a future-oriented technology partner, our priorities are innovation (developing new skills, new processes and new business models), the integration of new technologies in existing areas and systems, life-cycle management, and ensuring the availability of military and security systems.

Our extensive product and service portfolio does not just include the provision of trusted information and communication solutions. We also make an important contribution to the availability of fighter jets, helicopters and anti-aircraft defense, as well as wheeled and tracked vehicles.

RUAG is a private-law company under the ownership of the Swiss Confederation. In addition to our main contracting authority, the Swiss Armed Forces, our other customers are mainly national and international armed forces, government agencies and civil security authorities.

Contact: Kirsten Hammerich, Senior Media Relations Manager, kirsten.hammerich@ruag.ch, +41 58 467 05 11

About Dufour Aerospace
Dufour Aerospace develops efficient and ecological aircraft for patient and passenger transport, logistics and public safety. Dufour Aerospace relies on the tilt-wing principle: the tilt-wing aircraft Aero3, which is currently under development, takes off and lands vertically in the smallest space like a helicopter, but flies as fast and economically as an airplane. While the propellers are electrically driven, hybrid elements (conventional turbine or fuel cells) ensure a sufficiently long range (hybrid propulsion). In addition to the Aero3, Dufour Aerospace is also developing the Aero2, an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) that is also based on the tilt-wing principle.

Contact: Sascha Hardegger, Chief Commercial Officer, media@dufour.aero +41 79 270 73 90