Electric vertical takeoff aircraft completes first public test flight in Munich

Munich startup ERC System has conducted a test flight of what it says is one of Europe's largest electric vertical takeoff aircraft (eVTOL), a 2.7-tonne prototype designed for heavy-lift missions such as transferring patients to emergency hospitals.

The eVTOL named Romeo, with a 16-metre wingspan and the dimensions of a helicopter, completed its first public demonstration on Friday at the Erding military airfield near Munich.

"We've proven we can get 2.7 tonnes into the air, and therefore later the payload we need," chief commercial officer and co-founder Maximilian Oligschlaeger told Reuters during the test.

The prototype can be flown by a pilot or unmanned. It includes space for six seats but flew empty for safety reasons on the test flight. ERC aims to bring the aircraft to market in 2031, targeting payloads of about 500 kilograms (1,102 lb).

Despite financial turbulence in the broader eVTOL sector, ERC says it is well-funded. The company is a subsidiary of German tech company and Bundeswehr service provider IABG, which Oligschlaeger said has invested a significant double-digit-million-euro sum.

Rescue flight operator DRF Luftrettung, a future customer, is supporting development and expects the aircraft to cut costs and travel times in hospital-to-hospital patient transfers.

ERC declined to comment on what the aircraft would cost once it is on the market.

-Joern Poltz/Reuters