德國初創公司 ERC 測試第三架 AAM eVTOL 飛機原型機

Story By Ben Sampson
aerospacetestinginternational.com
圖片來源: ERC System

Munich-based startup ERC System has completed the maiden flight of its third-generation, full-scale electric vertical take-off and landing prototype, which the company says is the heaviest fully electric aircraft of its type to have flown in Europe.

The eVTOL aircraft prototype, designated Romeo, weighs 6,030 lbs (2,735kg) and has a 52ft (16m) wingspan. It features eight electrically driven vertical lift units powering rotors of approximately 8ft (2.4m) in diameter, along with a large cabin representative of ERC’s future medical transport configuration.

Romeo first took to the air in November 2025 at the ERC Flight Test Center near Munich, Germany. The maiden flight marked the start of a flight test campaign focused on validating core flight characteristics under representative mass and system conditions.

The current test phase places emphasis on vertical take-off, slow and controlled maneuvers, and vertical landing. The aircraft is being flown in an uncrewed configuration, with a test pilot controlling it remotely from a ground control station.

ERC System’s Romeo eVTOL prototype during flight testing near Munich, Germany (Image: ERC System)

Full-sized approach to flight testing

ERC has deliberately chosen to test at representative scale and mass from the outset, rather than beginning with small-scale or reduced-mass prototypes as many eVTOL developers do. The company says this approach is critical for validating propulsion architectures, energy and thermal management, and flight control behavior under realistic load conditions, as the physics of vertical take-off and landing aircraft do not scale linearly.

The strategy builds on experience gained with ERC’s first-generation demonstrator, Echo, a full-scale platform with a take-off weight of approximately 5,950 lbs (2,700kg) that first flew in 2023 in Manching Germany. Echo validated core vertical take-off and landing capabilities over more than 100 test days in 2023, delivering system-level insights in distributed electric propulsion and thermal management.

Romeo features an in-house-developed airframe and advanced redundant systems, and has received flight approval from Germany’s civil aviation authority the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA). The aircraft is being operated in accordance with applicable EASA standards.

Production aircraft Charlie

The flight test campaign supports development of ERC’s planned production aircraft, Charlie, a hybrid-electric, crewed aircraft targeting type certification in 2031 under EASA’s Special Condition VTOL (SC-VTOL) standards. Charlie is designed for interhospital patient transport and has a targeted maximum take-off weight of 7,275 lb (3,300kg), a useful load of 1,102 lb (500kg), and a maximum range of 497 miles (800km).

“We are excited to have reached this key milestone in our mission to make aerial transportation more economically feasible, especially for critical missions,” said Dr. David Löbl, co-founder and CEO. “The crewed aircraft we intend to certify in 2031 is hybrid-electric. It takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter but uses wings to cruise efficiently like an airplane.”

DRF Luftrettung, one of Europe’s leading helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operators, is ERC’s strategic partner on the project. “The prototype’s successful maiden flight represents the transition from concept to practical testing,” said Dr. Krystian Pracz, CEO of DRF Luftrettung.

ERC is also developing an uncrewed aerial logistics solution for defense, governmental, and commercial applications. The company plans to release details of this aircraft by the summer this year.

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• EVVTOL 的目標是透過發布和展示尖端的 EV 和 E-VTOL 技術來展示 EV 和 VTOL 行業並介紹電子技術領域的主要 EV 和 VTOL 車輛和零件製造商。

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電動混合動力車、電動航空、電動船舶技術和未來創新電動混合動力垂直起降航空航太技術新聞遍佈全球！ EVHNews.com 是專為 EVVTOL 提供的全球數位技術平台，EVVTOL 是一家全球電動車/混合動力車、電子航空、電動垂直起降 (E-VTOL)、電動船舶未來技術產業展覽與博覽會活動組織，全球最大的電動車和電動垂直起降 (E-VTOL) 品牌在此投資交通運輸的未來。 EV H News 致力於電動車和電動混合動力車、電子航空、電子垂直起降無人機、電子船舶，以及包括電動車、電子半導體和電動卡車在內的產業。這個數位平台將包括來自全球行業領袖的評論和資源，其中許多重點關注清潔藍色技術和適用的替代燃料。 EVH 新聞平台讓所有人都能獲得未來電子汽車、電子航空、電子船舶、電動摩托車、電子半導體和電動卡車電子賽車產業突破性電子技術的工具和資訊。關於 EVVTOL • EVVTOL 是一家新公司，透過策略性地定位自己，將自己打造成最具影響力的全球未來技術展覽/博覽會活動組織，以成功滿足 EV 和 VTOL 運輸行業客戶的需求！ • EVVTOL 的目標是透過發布和展示尖端的 EV 和 E-VTOL 技術來展示 EV 和 VTOL 行業並介紹電子技術領域的主要 EV 和 VTOL 車輛和零件製造商。 • EVVTOL 的使命是推出多項技術展會和博覽會，包括具有影響力的高層電動汽車商業峰會，以與電動汽車和電動汽車移動行業、能源汽車資訊技術和充電基礎設施行業的主要製造商進行商業合作的雙重主題為基礎。這些活動是了解和討論電動車和垂直起降飛機行業最新未來運輸技術進步以及仍然存在的電池能源挑戰的絕佳機會。 (evvtol.org) 877-4EV-VTOL (877-438-8865)

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