ASKA Selected for Singapore’s Dimension X to Revolutionize Emergency Medical Evacuations and Contested Logistics

California-based ASKA introduces Drive-&-Fly MEDEVAC, a hybrid-electric VTOL solution designed to accelerate emergency response and save lives

FRESNO COUNTY, CA, UNITED STATES, December 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- ASKA, the global pioneer in drive-and-fly hybrid-electric VTOL mobility, has been selected for Cohort 6 of Hatch’s prestigious Dimension X global open innovation challenge, where it will embark on a proof-of-concept for next-generation solutions for rapid emergency response. Hatch is the innovation center of HTX, the Home Team Science and Technology Agency of Singapore.

Singapore’s 64 islands pose challenges for emergency evacuation and logistics, including dense terrain, limited landing zones, overhead obstacles, and constrained access routes, present unique challenges for emergency evacuations and logistics. Although fly-only eVTOL aircraft are often seen as the next generation of emergency air ambulances, they still require ambulance transport at both ends, depend on dedicated vertiports or helipads, and cannot land in areas with trees, uneven ground, power lines, or narrow approach paths. This forces multiple vehicle transfers and adds delays that affect survival rates.

The ASKA™ A5 stands out from other VTOL designs with its unique ability to fold its wings and drive like a regular ground vehicle. This combination of ground mobility with vertical flight overcomes delays and hurdles by enabling a drive → fly → drive mission chain that removes two intermediate transfers. The vehicle can drive directly to and recover the patient, launch airborne from a secure point, fly between islands, and then land on the hospital’s helipad or drive the patient straight into the emergency entrance - dramatically reducing total mission time by eliminating multiple transfer steps and potentially saving more lives. Each mission becomes faster, more efficient, and more effective given the added flexibility.

This capability is especially valuable in rescue scenarios where helicopters or fly-only eVTOLs cannot land, due to trees, buildings, or uneven terrain or overhead wires. ASKA A5 can fly to land in a small clearing, fold its wings, and drive directly to the patient - something no other vertical-lift system can do.

At Singapore’s projected scale of up to 200,000 evacuations and first responder events per year, even partial adoption of ASKA’s platform could:

• Shorten evacuation times by ~35%
• Improve survival outcomes by reducing time-to-care
• Eliminate two ambulance legs per mission, freeing up critical resources
• Reduce personnel exposure by up to 80%
• Lower operating costs by hundreds of millions of dollars annually

ASKA’s drive-and-fly architecture also addresses emerging needs in an environment where logistical support is contested. The U.S. Department of War has publicly identified gaps in distributed sustainment and the requirement for autonomous, heavy-lift VTOL mobility that can operate without fixed infrastructure. Singapore’s island geography closely mirrors Indo-Pacific operational challenges and realities, making ASKA’s selection a meaningful validation for forces operating across archipelagos and in distributed maritime networks, where island-hopping, decentralized logistics, and rapid mobility are essential.

Dimension X is Hatch’s global open innovation challenge for sourcing dual-use technologies that strengthen public safety, rapidly validating them for operational use. Since its inception in 2023, from over 1,347 applications posing 70 challenge statements, only 66 start-ups were selected to participate.

About ASKA
ASKA is the global leader in hybrid-electric Drive-and-Fly VTOL vehicles, enabling scalable emergency response, contested logistics, commercial logistics, and next-generation advanced air mobility. The company operates at Eagle Field Airport (FAA ID CL01), California, where the ASKA™ A5 platform continues to undergo operational validation for partners including Singapore.

Maki Kaplinsky, COO
NFT Inc., d/b/a ASKA
info@askafly.com
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