While people-carrying eVTOLs are facing challenging times reaching commercialisation, another kind of eVTOLs, specifically cargo-carrying eVTOL drones, have gained commercial traction.
German company Wingcopter has developed fixed-wing eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) drones, which are deployed in both commercial applications and to save and improve lives in some of the most remote parts of the world.
The company has now expanded beyond carrying goods to include the sale of long-range beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) LiDAR surveying solutions.
I spoke to Ansgar Kadura, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Wingcopter, to learn more.
Founded in 2017, Wingcopter has grown into a 120-person team and raised over $119 million from investors. It has produced and deployed over 100 drones.
Thanks to its patented tilt-rotor mechanism and software algorithms, the Wingcopter 198 can take off and land vertically like a multicopter while flying long distances as efficiently and quickly as a fixed-wing aircraft, even in rain and strong winds.
I was keen to understand the company’s growth journey so far. According to Kadura, the company was completely self-funded until 2019.
“In those early years, we built our business around commercial drones, essentially unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). At that time, the industry was somewhat of a wild west, with minimal drone certification regulations.”
By 2019, it became clear that long-term sustainability and differentiation were needed, especially against Chinese drone manufacturers.
“Wingcopter needed to provide something better. We decided to pursue type certification for its drones.”
The company’s aircraft, Wingcopter 198, integrates with UAS Traffic Management (UTM) systems and works with local aviation authorities for operational authorisations.
It has already received permission from Beyond Visual Line of Sight BVLOS in Germany and other European regions for delivery missions.
It is working towards full commercial approvals in Africa, where it has partnered with health organisations for medical deliveries.
It has received FAA Special Class Airworthiness Criteria (a significant step toward full certification) in the US.
Kadura detailed:
“We’ve invested heavily in reliability and safety, ensuring it is a mature product before scaling up production. Although we aren’t fully commercial yet, we’ve operated in over 15 countries and are well-positioned for a global rollout.”
Wingcopter flies in multiple countries, including Japan, the US, Malawi, Kenya, Germany, and Spain.
The challenges of certification in an evolving sector
According to Kadura, a common factor faced by startups in aviation is that certifying a new type of aircraft is expensive and time-consuming.
“In more developed markets, unit economics are crucial. A drone’s long lifetime and cost efficiency determine its viability."
Unlike traditional aviation, the regulatory environment is still evolving, meaning companies can’t simply follow a set checklist. Many firms have underestimated the complexity, costs, and shifting regulations.
Kadura explains that while some aircraft can mitigate this by reducing complexity, some eVTOL companies pivoted from fully autonomous air taxis to piloted aircraft to speed up regulatory approval.
“In the drone sector, we don’t have that option—our aircraft are unmanned—but we’ve had to navigate similar regulatory uncertainties."
According to Kadura, China fully dominates the consumer drone market, and even in enterprise drones, they have a strong presence.
“If you can’t differentiate in terms of performance and safety, you won’t survive. However, unlike many competitors, we are developing our drone as a fully certified aircraft.”
Kadura asserts that uncertified commercial drones will struggle to compete in the long term, “especially as regulations tighten.”
The company’s core product optimises medical supply chains and last-mile logistics of packages, tools, spare parts, food, and groceries. In developing countries, poor infrastructure makes drone deliveries incredibly valuable.
Essential medicines for rural Malawi
Wingcopter, in collaboration with partners like the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and UNICEF, has implemented a drone-based medical delivery service to improve healthcare access in rural Malawi. It addresses the challenges of poor road infrastructure and seasonal weather conditions that hinder medical deliveries.
Over 2,150 flights have transported thousands of essential medicines, including antimalarials, maternal health products, and antibiotics, serving a population of around 500,000 people.
The drones also facilitate the transport of laboratory samples from rural health centres to district hospitals, significantly reducing processing times and enhancing diagnostic capabilities.
To date, Wingcopter has delivered 2,300 kg of medical supplies, covering over 130,000 flight kilometres with missions up to 80 kilometres.
Delivering blood samples in Germany
In rural Northeastern Germany, transporting blood samples from Wolgast District Hospital to Greifswald University for urgent analysis typically takes 45 minutes by car, with couriers making limited daily trips.
To improve emergency medical response, Greifswald University Medical Center, DRF Luftrettung, and Wingcopter partnered on the MV|LIFE|DRONE Challenge, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health. Wingcopter drones carrying 250 g of blood samples completed the 26 km one-way trip in just 18 minutes, nearly twice as fast as ground transport. Operating beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and available on-demand, the project demonstrated how drone integration can significantly accelerate emergency care and save lives in remote areas.
In 2022, Wingcopter has signed a deal to roll out 12,000 of its long-range triple-drop delivery drones across Africa over the next five years, in the largest commercial drone deployment ever attempted.
While its next focus is on scaling up the Wingcopter 198 and completing its type certification in the US, Wingcopter is also expanding operations across Japan, Brazil, the US, Europe, Africa, and Mexico, working closely with commercial partners in these regions.
Expanding to new business cases
Now, Wingcopter is expanding beyond cargo drones to include the sale of long-range BVLOS LiDAR surveying solutions.
For this, the Wingcopter 198, the company’s flagship product, will be equipped with laser scanning and camera systems, enabling the efficient and rapid collection of high-quality data.
The aim is to give customers the opportunity to survey up to 60 km of linear infrastructure in one mission, carrying a 4.5 kg sensor system. Potential use cases include the inspection of power lines, pipelines, railways and roads, as well as the mapping of terrain and vegetation that is difficult to access.
According to Kadura, the company has frozen the Wingcopter 198 in its current configuration while it rolls out this new product offering:
“The drone has unique payload and range characteristics, and with a proven product lifetime of more than 1,000 flight hours, it is one of the most reliable long-range eVTOL UAS on the market.
I look forward to discussing with surveyors and learning about their vision for an ideal BVLOS LiDAR surveying drone.”
The initiative has attracted strong interest from Brazil, where Synerjet, Wingcopter’s authorised local partner, plans to deploy fleets of Wingcopter 198 drones in the surveying market.
Interested parties can reach out to discuss their use cases and potential partnerships.
Lead image: Wingcopter. Photo: uncredited.
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