德国初创公司 ERC 测试第三架 AAM eVTOL 飞机原型机

Story By Ben Sampson
aerospacetestinginternational.com
Image Credit: 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.

...来自 SP 的说明

关于作者

EVHNews

全球电动混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动船舶技术及未来创新电动混合动力 VTOL 航空航天技术新闻！

EVHNews.com 是 EVVTOL 的全球数字技术平台。EVVTOL 是全球电动汽车/混合动力汽车、电子航空、E-VTOL、E-Marine 未来技术行业展示和展览活动组织机构，全球最大的电动汽车和 E-VTOL 品牌在此投资未来交通。

EV H News 致力于电动汽车和电动混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动直升机、电动船舶、电动交通、电动半导体和电动卡车等行业。
这个数字平台将包括来自全球行业领导者的评论和资源，其中许多侧重于清洁蓝色技术和替代燃料（如适用）。EVH 新闻平台让所有人都能获得未来电子汽车、电子航空、电子海运、电子摩托车、电子半导体和电子卡车等行业突破性电子技术的工具和信息。

关于 EVVTOL

- EVVTOL 是一家新公司，其品牌定位是全球最具影响力的未来技术展/博览会活动组织，其战略定位是成功满足电动汽车和 VTOL 运输行业客户的需求！

- EVVTOL 的目标是展示电动汽车和 VTOL 行业，并通过发布和展示尖端电动汽车和 E-VTOL 技术，介绍电动汽车和 VTOL 领域的主要车辆和零部件制造商。

- EVVTOL 的使命是推出多个技术展和博览会，包括有影响力的高级别电动汽车商业峰会，这些峰会以与电动汽车和电动交通行业、能源汽车信息技术和充电基础设施行业的主要制造商进行商业接触这两个主题为基础。这些活动是了解和讨论电动汽车和 VTOL 行业未来最新交通技术进步以及电池能源挑战的绝佳机会。

(evvtol.org) 877-4EV-VTOL (877-438-8865)

查看作者的帖子

EVHNews

全球电动混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动船舶技术及未来创新电动混合动力 VTOL 航空航天技术新闻！ EVHNews.com 是 EVVTOL 的全球数字技术平台。EVVTOL 是全球电动汽车/混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动 VTOL、电动船舶未来技术行业展示和展览活动组织机构，全球最大的电动汽车和电动 VTOL 品牌在此投资未来交通。 EV H News 致力于电动汽车和电动混合动力汽车、电动航空、电动飞行器、电动船舶等行业，包括电动交通、电动半导体和电动卡车。 这个数字平台将包括来自全球行业领导者的评论和资源，其中许多侧重于清洁蓝色技术和替代燃料（如适用）。EVH 新闻平台让所有人都能获得工具和信息，了解未来电子汽车、电子航空、电子海运、电子摩托车、电子半导体和电子卡车等电子运动行业的突破性电子技术。 关于 EVVTOL - EVVTOL 是一家新公司，以最具影响力的全球未来技术展/博览活动组织为品牌，其战略定位是成功满足电动汽车和 VTOL 运输行业客户的需求！ - EVVTOL 的目标是展示电动汽车和 VTOL 行业，并通过揭幕和展示最先进的电动汽车和 E-VTOL 技术，介绍电动汽车和 VTOL 的主要车辆和零部件制造商。 - EVVTOL 的使命是推出多个技术展和博览会，包括有影响力的高级别电动汽车商业峰会，这些峰会以与电动汽车和电动交通行业、能源汽车信息技术和充电基础设施行业的主要制造商进行商业接触为双重主题。这些活动是了解和讨论电动汽车和 VTOL 行业未来最新交通技术进步以及电池能源挑战的绝佳机会。 (evvtol.org) 877-4EV-VTOL (877-438-8865)

查看完整生平