Weisterstadt, GERMANY – It is a good start to the new year for German drone delivery pioneer Wingcopter, which has just announced a new multi-million commercial agreement with a USA-based medical drone solutions provider.

Wingcopter – which also runs a thriving medical drone delivery operation in Malawi – and Spright, a subsidiary of American air medical service provider Air Methods said the $16million deal will see Spright acquiring a large fleet of Wingcopter’s new flagship delivery drone, the Wingcopter 198, and fly them to meet the increasing demand for medical drone delivery solutions throughout the USA.

“The contract makes Wingcopter the exclusive provider of fixed wing eVTOL delivery drone technology to Spright for use within its United States operations,” Wingcopter said in a statement. “Spright, in turn, becomes the exclusive provider of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) for the Wingcopter 198 to third parties in the USA, an ideal fit thanks to its available infrastructure across the country.”

The two parties first entered into a strategic partnership last August, which saw Spright offering its home experience in support of Wingcopter’s UAS type-certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The American company has experience operating both FAA 121 and 135 air carriers, has a Part 135 certificate (on-demand air service), an SMS (Safety Management System) Program, and also a long-standing working relationship with the FAA – all of which Wingcopter can leverage on.

“Spright is collaborating with Hutchinson Regional Health System, in Hutchinson, Kansas, for initial tests, and plans to expand the service beyond Kansas with additional strategic medical projects later this year,” the statement further said. “The Wingcopter fleet will increase healthcare access across rural and underserved communities by enabling the instant and on-demand delivery of vital medical supplies, medications, vaccines, blood, and lab samples, between medical facilities. It will also improve quality of care for patients due to faster turn-around time of lab samples and more targeted treatments for patients.

“Finally, the electrically powered Wingcopter cargo drones will reduce the medical industry’s carbon footprint, contributing to greener and more sustainable supply chains with faster and more predictable delivery times.”

Launched in 2020, Spright offers end-to-end drone delivery solutions to promote healthcare access and minimise the day-to-day strategic supply challenges facing hospitals, clinics, and laboratories across the USA. Collaborating with leading drone technology partners like Wingcopter, the company applies modern technology to increase transportation reliability and efficiency, enabling the timely delivery of vital pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, blood products, patient samples, and medical devices.

Joseph Resnik, President of Spright said his company working with Wingcopter would see it fulfilling its objectives of bringing timeous medical supplies to communities.

“We are fortunate to have Wingcopter on board as our aircraft technology partner,” said Resnik. “With their industry-leading eVTOL aircraft design, Wingcopter brings a level of maturity needed to address the complex and diverse demands of the US healthcare market. We are confident that our combined strengths will deliver innovative, time-saving solutions to meet the needs of our customers and their communities.”

Tom Plümmer, Co-founder and CEO of Wingcopter was equally happy further his company’s ties with Spright

“This multi-million-dollar commercial agreement with Spright is a clear proof that the Wingcopter 198 has a perfect product-market-fit,” he said.

“We are proud to enable large-scale drone delivery across the United States with this strong partnership. The projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the drone delivery market of more than 50 percent to a total volume of almost USD 40 billion in 2030 underlines the rapid adoption of eVTOL technology for last-mile logistics.

“We are happy to be at the forefront of this fast-growing market together with Spright.”