Drone Drug Delivery Network Launches Across the US

In early August 2021, the German drone manufacturer Wingcopter entered into a strategic partnership with Air Methods to create a drug delivery network throughout the United States.

Founded in 1980, Air Methods by August 2021 assembled a fleet of 450 helicopters and aircraft, which are located at more than 300 bases in 48 US states and annually deliver almost 100,000 medical supplies and equipment to various hospitals in rural areas.

Drone Drug Delivery Network Launches in USA

The flagship eight-minute Wingcopter drone measuring 65 x 198 x 152 cm can rise vertically like a helicopter, and then go into horizontal flight with a fixed wing. It can carry up to 6 kg of cargo and provides up to three cargo items (up to 5 kg) at a time. Each of the cargo reports can be lowered to the ground using a separate winch in hang mode. The flight range on one charge is 75 km with towing of 5 kg, and the maximum cruising speed is 144 km/h.

The new Air Methods/Wingcopter drone delivery facility will be called Spright and is already testing in Kansas with Hutchinson Regional Medical Systems project partners. If the results prove successful, a nationwide network of rapid delivery of medical goods using drones using existing Air Methods bases will be deployed.

We are very happy to team up with Air Methods to create a network of drug delivery and other medical supplies using drones throughout the United States, "said Tom Plümmer, CEO and co-founder of Wingcopter. He noted that Wingcopter drones are already used around the world for the effective delivery of medicines, for example, insulin to Ireland, children's vaccines to Vanuatu, emergency medicine in Malawi and blood samples in Germany.[1]

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