Flying Vehicles for Medical First Responders Sought in Oregon

A California eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle maker is expanding its U.S. footprint to the state of Oregon.

Jump Aero and the Oregon Department of Aviation signed a deal to work together to determine how to bring Jump Aero’s JA1 emergency response aircraft to the rural population there.

“We are grateful to the Oregon Department of Aviation for their willingness to consider the JA1 Pulse in support of their commitment to reducing emergency response times and increasing survival rates in Oregon's rural communities,” said Jump Aero president and CEO Carl Dietrich. “We are confident that the JA1 Pulse will be a critical life-saving tool in Oregon and look forward to working with first responders there and in the growing list of partner regions. This MOU and the work it represents is directly in line with Jump Aero's mission and we are excited to begin."

This is not the first U.S. agreement for the first responder electric aerial vehicle (EAV).

Jump Aero and the Utah Department of Transportation previously agreed to work together to create full state coverage using Jump Aero's flight-based first responder operations.

Utah is looking to determine how many Jump JA-1 Pulse EAVs they would need to provide life-saving response times throughout the state.

Related:Flying Vehicles Considered for Statewide Emergency Use in Utah

Jump Aero recently received $3.6 million in contracts from the U.S. Air Force to accelerate the company’s technology development. Part of the funding is targeted to fund the first full-scale prototype.

The military backing comes from the Air Force Research Laboratory, the primary scientific research and development center for the U.S. Air Force. The company promises a speed of up to 285 mph.

The first orders for the JA1 Pulse EAV came from Falck Ambulance Service, a global first response business with operations in 26 countries.

A venture firm in Australia also has ordered 10 of the Jump Aero eVTOLs to provide rural emergency medical response to people in remote rural areas in Australia.

Electro Ventures, an entrepreneur-led venture holdings company focused on sustainable innovation, already had been working with Jump Aero through Electro Aero, one of the venture firm’s companies.

As part of the deal, the venture firm intends to represent Jump Aero throughout the Asia Pacific region.

EAVs are being considered for numerous first responder services. For example, Volocopter, a Germany-based flying vehicle company, partnered with Bristow Group in Houston, Texas, to build urban air mobility ecosystems, including using the flying vehicles for search and rescue.

Related:Flying Vehicle Sold As Air Ambulance; Backed by US Air Force

Like what you've read? For more stories like this on flying cars and emerging technologies, sign up for our free daily email newsletter to stay updated!