COST-BASED AND HEADS-DOWN ENGINEERING
Our History
A STRONG FOUNDATION: EXPERT PARTNERSHIPS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF AIR TRANSPORTATION
Based on prior experience in developing large aircrafts, the founding team of ERC was poised to build a winning electric aviation company - one that could benefit from being a second mover.
From the outset, our journey has been shaped by the dedicated support of three distinct and influential partners: Prof. Dr. Rudolf F. Schwarz of the IABG, our founding investor, whose strategic stake in ERC plays a central role in shaping our direction and long-term potential; DRF Luftrettung, our ideological partner, whose operational expertise and growing commitment now accelerate our mission; and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Florian Holzapfel from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), whose academic collaboration provides targeted research input and R&D guidance. United by a shared vision to solve the pressing cost–time dilemma between conventional helicopter services and ground transportation, these partnerships have laid the foundation for the development of our innovative Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing platform.
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: TEAM BUILDING AND INITIAL SYSTEM TESTING
In 2021, ERC expanded its team with the first key hires, filling essential roles to support the growing complexity of the project. This year also marked the beginning of our creation phase, during which the foundations of our aviation platform was defined. At the same time, we began building our supplier network, initiating outreach to strategic partners who would later become crucial to our development. 2022 brought the first real-world validation of our ideas with the launch of the ground testing campaign for our full-scale, full-mass demonstrator, Echo.
THE ECHO DEMONSTRATOR
After years of intensive development, analysis, and testing, ERC reached a major milestone with the successful vertical takeoff of Echo, one of Europe’s heaviest full-mass demonstrators with a mass of 2,730 kilograms. This achievement represented a key moment in our progress, significantly reducing technological risk in the development program and validating the depth and precision of our engineering work.
REVEALING ROMEO
2024 marked the year where ERC revealed Romeo, our second full-scale, full-mass demonstrator generation. With this aircraft, we aim to achieve a successful flight in 2025 and advance to the next stage of our development program.
A COMPANY CULTURE TO LAND EXACTLY WHERE WE SHOULD BE
- Entering an established market facing rising cost and efficiency pressure
- Trusted by several experienced HEMS & military operators
- Aircraft meets critical operator needs with clamshell door for fast and easy access
- Long-standing partnership providing critical early-stage funding and infrastructure support
- Strategic knowledge-sharing with one of Germany’s leading aerospace and defense institutions
- A versatile aircraft platform designed for a wide range of applications, including but not limited to patient transport, search and rescue, cargo delivery, and dual-use scenarios
- Modular interior tailored to each customer’s specific operational needs
- Driven by a diverse team of engineers, domain experts and beyond
- Our approach is built on reliable systems, with innovation focused on what can be enhanced
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