Dufour Aerospace’s Aero2 Completes Historic Hybrid-Electric Test Flights

The Aero2 Self-Charges Batteries Mid-Flight, Setting a New Standard for Sustainable Cargo and Remote Sensing Solutions

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNab

Swiss drone manufacturer Dufour Aerospace recently announced the completion of its first flight test campaign with their in-house hybrid electric powertrain for its Aero2 drone. The Aero2 flew several test flights in Zurich, with the hybrid system self-charging its batteries in flight. 

This is believed to be the first-ever successful flight of a large-scale serial hybrid-electric aircraft, transitioning from vertical takeoff to forward flight. The news fulfills Dufour’s vision of producing a hybrid-electric powertrain, with an innovative tilt-wing design, and autonomous flight capabilities.

“Dufour Aerospace achieved a major milestone with these flights,” said Sascha Hardegger, CEO of Dufour Aerospace. “All of Dufour’s in-house developments — the Flight Control System and Control Software, Power Management System, and the integrated Powertrain — must work together seamlessly to achieve this.”

“The beauty of the Aero2 is mission-efficiency and a simpler system for charging aircraft. Our customers do not need to plug in the Aero2 for hours to run their next mission. Recharging is accomplished in the air, not on the ground, enabling back-to-back missions. It can land, exchange the payload, and restart the next mission immediately.”

When taking off, the Aero2 is fully powered by high-performance batteries, making it quiet and efficient. When flying forwards, the Aero2 hybrid-electric system is engaged to produce electricity on board, which powers the electric motors and recharges the batteries. 

While the hybrid system uses conventional gasoline today, it’s actively being modified to accept sustainable aviation fuel or even kerosene. Regardless, both its overall carbon footprint (and operating costs) are dramatically lower than helicopters or the conventionally fuelled helicopter style drones of today. 

“Dufour has proven the critical systems on the aircraft. It demonstrates that our aircraft will be mission-ready for all of the use cases we envision,” Hardegger said. “Initially, we are focusing on the delivery of critical cargo such as medical goods or urgently needed spare parts, where we are seeing a lot of operators and end-users waiting for efficient transport solutions. Additionally, we are closely looking into supporting various remote-sensing applications.”

Based in Visp and Zurich, Dufour “develops and manufactures efficient and sustainable aircraft for cargo transportation, logistics, and public safety”. According to their press release, the Aero2 drone features distributed electric propulsion and a hybrid module to meet today’s Advanced Air Mobility and medium-sized drone market requirements. 

More information on Dufour and the Aero2 system is available here. 

Want DRONELIFE news delivered to your inbox every weekday?  Sign up here.

Read more:

• Will Hospital Transport be the First Big Application for eVTOL? European Medical Drone Inks Deal to Purchase Dufour Aero2 Tilt Wings
• Dufour Aerospace Releases the Final Design for the Aero2 Drone: Hybrid-Electric Propulsion, Tilt-Wing Design