Rheinmetall in pact on heavy-lift drones with startup ERC

June 10 (Reuters) - Germany's Rheinmetall, Munich-based startup ERC System and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia said on Wednesday they partnered up for the potential production of heavy-lift drones in the region.

• The parties signed a letter of intent aimed at the production of ERC's hybrid-electric heavy-duty transport drone Victor U250 in North Rhine-Westphalia

• They aim to accelerate the aircraft's market launch through the establishment of a production site and supply chains in the state

• The project would create jobs in the hundreds by 2029

• The Victor U250 is an unmanned, hybrid-electric cargo drone, with a payload of up to 250 kg over a range of 300 km, infrastructure-independent vertical take-off with a high cruising speed of around 250 km/h

• "Ultimately, our aim is, ideally, to work with ERC and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to scale up the Victor U250 heavy-lift drone both technologically and industrially," said Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger

• ERC is owned by unlisted Industrieanlagen-Betriebsgesellschaft mbH (IABG)

(Writing by Linda PasquiniEditing by Ludwig Burger)