#USA #New York #Emergency Response #GoAERO #Prototypes

GoAERO Announces Prototype Winners for Emergency Response Flyers

On December 3, 2025, the GoAERO Prize, a prestigious international competition aimed at creating life-saving emergency response aircraft, announced the eight winning teams of its prototype stage. These innovative teams will receive a total of $320,000 in funding to further develop their aircraft prototypes.

Supported by prominent organizations like NASA, RTX, and Honeywell, the winning teams are set to showcase their aircraft capabilities during a final flight test at the NASA Ames Research Center located in the San Francisco Bay Area. The competition exemplifies the spirit of innovation and collaboration, uniting various sectors to address urgent humanitarian needs.

The Winning Teams

The eight winning prototype teams include:

1. CraneAERO — Cranfield, United Kingdom
2. Elevate — Delft, Netherlands
3. Harmony — Texas, United States
4. HORYZN — Munich, Germany
5. LIFT + UT Austin / Texas Aerial Robotics — Texas, United States
6. Rescue Pack — North Carolina, United States
7. Soteria — Pennsylvania, United States
8. VSDDL — Alabama, United States

The autonomous designs being developed by these teams aim to enhance rescue operations during natural disasters, manage everyday medical emergencies, and tackle humanitarian crises effectively.

Responding to Global Challenges

This announcement comes at a crucial time, as the world faces mounting challenges in emergency response. Recent catastrophic events, such as devastating floods in Texas, wildfires in California, and a record hurricane impacting Jamaica, underscore the pressing need for advanced emergency response solutions. The situation is further aggravated by limited funding for organizations like FEMA, increased traffic congestion, and delayed emergency medical response times in both urban and rural communities.

According to Gwen Lighter, the founder and CEO of GoAERO, "The need for GoAERO aircraft is more critical than ever." She highlighted the foundation's mission to create transformative flight technologies while building a collaborative network among industry leaders, government bodies, and first-response organizations to ensure the safe and efficient deployment of these emergency response aircraft in the future.

Currently, GoAERO comprises 201 teams from 85 countries worldwide, all working to create their Emergency Response Flyers. Teams can advance to the next round regardless of prior awards, and new participants are welcome at any stage of the competition.

The culminating event, the GoAERO Fly-Off, will feature three independent missions designed to evaluate specific skills and capabilities essential for public service missions. An additional $1.65 million in awards will be distributed to the winning teams.

About GoAERO

Launched in 2024, the GoAERO Prize aims to inspire the development of innovative Emergency Response Flyers capable of rescuing individuals and responding to disasters globally. With over $2 million in prizes, the competition encourages teams to create safe, portable, robust, and autonomous aircraft. Competing teams benefit from expert mentorship, global visibility, access to software, services, and financial rewards.

For more information or to enter a team in the GoAERO Prize, visit GoAEROprize.com.



This initiative exemplifies the dedication of innovators worldwide to create life-saving technologies and demonstrate the potential of aerial platforms in disaster response and humanitarian efforts.