Urban Aeronautics To Provide 4 Flying Emergency Response Vehicles To Hatzolah Air

Israel’s Urban Aeronautics, a company using advanced aerodynamic tech to develop the next generation of hydrogen-powered flying vehicles, announced on Tuesday that it signed an agreement to provide four emergency response flying vehicles to Hatzolah Air, a US-based emergency air response service.

Urban Aeronautics and Hatzolah Air launched a joint cooperation this past summer to develop the Israeli company’s CityHawk aircraft for emergency medical service (EMS) applications.

The CityHawk is a lightweight twin-engine VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft uniquely designed for urban transportation or emergency response. The six-passenger flying ambulance will be able to hold a pilot, a patient, another companion, two EMT personnel, and life support equipment.

The aircraft has no external wings or rotors, resulting in “unparalleled” flying and landing access under any weather conditions, the company says, and is quieter than helicopters. It features Urban Aeronautics’ internal rotor Fancraft technology, which utilizes powerful ducted fans in combination with advanced aerodynamic technologies that result in superior control, stability, speed, safety, noise reduction, and sustainability.

The aircraft is set to be completed and undergo FAA certification for EMS use within three to five years, according to Tuesday’s announcement.

Hatzolah Air’s pre-order of four air ambulance CityHawks “is an amazing show of confidence in our program and in our company,” said Nimrod Golan-Yanay, CEO of Urban Aeronautics. “We look forward to delivering on our promise to revolutionize urban air mobility and the emergency response capabilities of major cities across the world.

“We are excited to become not just the worldwide distributor of Urban Aeronautics’ Air Ambulance CityHawk, but its first customer as well,” said Eli Rowe, President of Hatzolah Air, the aviation arm of Hatzolah, an EMS organization founded more than 50 years ago with divisions in several countries, including the US and Israel. Hatzolah provides national and worldwide air transportation for those in need due to medical, humanitarian, and disaster relief reasons.

The formation of the Hatzolah Emergency Air Response Team was announced in May 2019 at the 50th Year Hatzolah International Conference in Jerusalem.

“Hatzolah’s mission is always about patient care, and adding the VTOL CityHawk has the potential to save many thousands of lives every year,” said Rowe.

SEE ALSO: Urban Aeronautics To Develop Emergency Response Flying Vehicle With Hatzolah Air