Bavarian startup unveils eVTOL aircraft ‘Romeo’
For years, ERC System, based in Ottobrunn near Munich, operated in ‘stealth mode,’ as co-founder Maximilian Oligschläger describes it. The analogy to a stealth aircraft flying under the radar is deliberate. However, ERC System has now emerged from the shadows, choosing the former Erding airbase—currently being transformed into the Bundeswehr’s innovation centre—for its public debut.
Last Friday, ERC System demonstrated that its electric aircraft, named ‘Romeo’, can indeed fly. Romeo is an eVTOL—an electrically powered aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing, which eliminates the need for a runway. Unlike startups Lilium and Volocopter, which filed for insolvency around a year ago, ERC System avoids describing its aircraft as a ‘flying taxi’. There is a clear reason for this: the company is less focused on transporting affluent passengers and more on medical missions, logistics, and military applications.
The latter is also why ERC System is permitted to use the Bundeswehr’s new innovation centre. Last week, the startup had the opportunity to present itself to Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder (CSU) during the centre’s inauguration. ERC System stated on LinkedIn: “Collaborations with the Bundeswehr enable us to test our large unmanned prototypes quickly and pragmatically in military scenarios—accelerating learning and development.” Potential military applications include evacuation and support missions.
Turning to Romeo itself: the electric aircraft is significantly larger and heavier than typical flying taxi prototypes. Designed to fly with a pilot on board, it has a deadweight of 2.7 tonnes, a wingspan of 16 metres, and is equipped with eight rotors for vertical ascent. So far, Romeo can only hover and cannot fly forward, though ERC CEO David Löbl told Bavarian Broadcasting that hovering is the more complex challenge compared to forward flight. For forward motion, the aircraft will likely be fitted with an additional pusher motor, similar to those used in eVTOLs by companies like Beta Technologies or Eve Air Mobility.
The unmanned test flight, controlled remotely in front of attending journalists in Erding, was brief and low. “Just under ten metres above the ground, ‘Romeo’ traced a figure-eight in the air. After a few more small manoeuvres and less than five minutes of flight time, the demonstration concluded,” as Spiegel Online described the aircraft’s performance.
One of the first applications for Romeo is expected to be patient transport. To this end, ERC System is collaborating with DRF Luftrettung. Initially, the focus will not be on emergency rescue flights but on inter-hospital transfers—such as transporting patients to facilities where they can undergo surgeries not available at their current location. Dr Krystian Pracz, CEO of DRF Luftrettung, is convinced ‘that the ERC aircraft will secure a permanent place in our fleet by the 2030s—as a valuable addition to our established air rescue services with helicopters.’ The eVTOL is set to be deployed first in the Memmingen-Unterallgäu healthcare model region to gather experience.
Following Romeo, ERC System plans to develop its production model, ‘Charlie’. This aircraft will feature ten rotors instead of eight. Unlike ‘Romeo’, it will not be fully electric but will instead use a hybrid system with a range extender—a fuel-powered generator that recharges the batteries during flight. This is expected to enable a range of up to 800 kilometres. Certification by EASA is planned for 2031, though this requires a complex and costly certification campaign, which has already proven insurmountable for some startups. ERC System, however, is confident of success and is counting on support from aerospace group IABG, which is contributing expertise and capital.
spiegel.de, br.de, drf-luftrettung.de (patient transports)
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