Positive Aviation raises €8 million to fund FF72 firefighting aircraft
The company is also looking to raise an additional €2 million via a crowdfunding campaign
Positive Aviation has announced that it has successfully raised €8 million in funds to support the development of its FF72 water scooper firefighting aircraft.
The €8 million equity round will finance the development of the aircraft, derived from the ATR 72-600, as well as the consolidation of Positive Aviation’s French industrial and capital base.
Positive Aviation added that it is currently working to raise an additional €2 million via a crowdfunding campaign.
The announcement follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bridger Aerospace, naming them as a launch customer for the aircraft.
The deal with Bridger includes an order of 10 aircraft, as well as an option for 10 additional planes.
“Following the vote of confidence from our launch customer, this fundraising further strengthens Positive Aviation’s trajectory,” said Laurent Schmitt, President and Co-founder of Positive Aviation. “This commitment honors us and allows us to secure funding for the development and manufacturing of the FF72-X1 flying demonstrator, which will make its first flight in summer 2026.”
The company stated that it aims to acquire certification for the FF72 and make its first delivery by the end of 2028.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.