Helicopters carry most of the burden when it comes to medical air transportation, but things are starting to change.
Small drones are already being used for delivering urgent medical supplies over short distances, but eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) capable of interregional flights have the potential to revolutionize medical transportation.
Manta Aircraft might not be as famous as other eVTOL developers, but its versatile Ann platform has shown enough potential to be selected by a private air transport company to provide medical transportation services. Avionord has agreed to purchase 15 units of Manta’s hybrid-electric model while also becoming an investor for the Italian company.
The main feature that drew Avionord’s attention was Ann’s extensive range. Equipped with a turbo generator and batteries, this aircraft is able to conduct flights of up to 1,000 km (620 miles) without requiring ant ground-based recharging infrastructure because it’s able to recharge its batteries en-route. This means that it could fly between cities in order to deliver organs for transplants or equipment for the re-perfusion of organs. And it would do so fast, thanks to a speed of up to 300 kph (186 mph).
Another major benefit is that it combines eVTOL and STOL (short take-off and landing) capabilities. This means that its infrastructure requirements are minimal. It can take off and land vertically using existing helipads, but it can also do that from very short runways, which would enable it to carry a higher payload. Additionally, it's much less noisy than a helicopter, with lower operating costs.
The future ANN hybrid VTOLs that will be operated by Avionord will therefore be capable of providing essential medical transportation services within an entire region, landing from one hospital helipad to another, faster and quieter than helicopters.
Manta Aircraft is gearing up for the certification of its first model, the two-seater Ann2, next year, while the hybrid-electric VTOLs with a medical configuration are set to be delivered by 2026. Autoevolution - link - Otilia Dragan - link - more like this (eVTOL) - link - more like this (Italy) - link
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