Archer Aviation Inc. (Archer) develops the technologies and aircraft to power the future of advanced aviation.
The company plans to provide customers with advanced aircraft and related technologies and services in the United States and internationally, in both the commercial and defense sectors. The company unveiled its first planned production aircraft, an electric vertical take-off and landing (‘eVTOL’) aircraft, Midnight, in November 2022. In December 2024, the company launched Archer Defens...
Archer Aviation Inc. (Archer) develops the technologies and aircraft to power the future of advanced aviation.
The company plans to provide customers with advanced aircraft and related technologies and services in the United States and internationally, in both the commercial and defense sectors. The company unveiled its first planned production aircraft, an electric vertical take-off and landing (‘eVTOL’) aircraft, Midnight, in November 2022. In December 2024, the company launched Archer Defense, entering into a strategic partnership with Anduril Industries Inc. (‘Anduril’) to jointly develop a next-generation aircraft for defense applications. In December 2024, the company completed construction of its high-volume aircraft manufacturing facility, ARC, located in Covington, Georgia. The company plans to start initial production of aircraft at this facility in the first half of 2025 and ramp its production there to support its commercialization efforts. The company is first and foremost working to commercialize its Midnight aircraft, which is intended to be used in air taxi operations in and around major cities around the world. To do so, the company is working with aviation authorities, countries, cities, and strategic partners in select locations globally to obtain certification of its Midnight aircraft and build out urban air mobility (‘UAM’) networks that will utilize its Midnight aircraft in their operations.
Planned Lines of Business
The company intends to operate in the following areas:
Commercial: This is planned to consist of the sale of the company’s commercial aircraft (‘Archer Direct’), such as Midnight, to aircraft operators, as well as technologies and services related thereto, including commercial launch (i.e., certification, testing, training, demonstration, market survey, and early trial operations), and maintenance and repair. In addition, the company plans to provide direct-to-consumer aerial ride-share services utilizing its aircraft and potentially others in select metropolitan areas around the world, with consumers being able to book rides via an app-based platform (‘Archer UAM’).
Defense: This is planned to consist of the sale of next-generation aircraft and related technologies for defense applications. The company’s initial product is intended to be a hybrid-propulsion, vertical take-off and landing (‘VTOL’) aircraft that it is jointly developing with Anduril. The company has also been partnering with the Department of Defense (‘DoD’) since 2021 on a series of projects through the United States Air Force’s (‘USAF’) AFWERX program, with the goal of helping the AFWERX Agility Prime program assess the transformational potential of the vertical flight market and eVTOL technologies for DoD purposes. The company continues to advance this partnership and deliver under the related contracts it has entered into with the USAF, which include the delivery of its Midnight aircraft to the USAF, the sharing of additional flight test data and certification-related test reports, pilot training, and the development of maintenance and repair operations.
The company will use its cash and cash equivalents for the foreseeable future as it continues to develop its commercial aircraft, defense aircraft, related technologies, manufacturing operations, and work to commercialize its commercial and defense aircraft.
Aircraft
The company’s Midnight aircraft is designed around its proprietary 12-tilt-6 distributed electric propulsion platform. Midnight is the evolution of its demonstrator aircraft, Maker, which the company developed and used to validate its aircraft configuration and key enabling technologies. Midnight is designed to carry four passengers plus a pilot, bring an enhanced level of safety, and deliver a reduced level of noise compared to traditional helicopters. The company’s Midnight aircraft is built around key advanced aviation technologies it has developed, including what are to be cutting-edge electric propulsion and flight control systems. The company has paired those with systems and components sourced from leading aerospace suppliers, many of which are already being used on certified aircraft today, with the goal of reducing Midnight’s certification risk, as well as its development timelines and costs. The aircraft is purpose-built for its intended use case of air taxi operations in major cities across the globe, with its range and payload being optimized around back-to-back short-distance trips of around 20 miles, with minimal charging time between trips. The company’s approach to designing Midnight focuses on combining high function and high emotion, with the goal of inspiring passengers to want to experience it, similar to the feeling that was evoked during the Golden Age of aviation in the 1950s.
The company continues to work to optimize its Midnight aircraft design for both manufacturing and certification. The development of an eVTOL aircraft that meets the company’s business requirements demands significant design and development efforts on all facets of the aircraft. The company continues to work to certify Midnight with certain aviation authorities around the globe so that it can be used in its planned commercial operations as soon as possible.
The company’s aircraft under development for Archer Defense is planned to be a hybrid-propulsion, Midnight-like VTOL aircraft with both a low thermal and acoustic signature, purpose-built for next-generation defense use cases. The company is jointly developing this aircraft with Anduril. The company intends to invest in the development of its hybrid-propulsion platform, as well as in critical capabilities like the manufacturing of composites and battery cells needed for this aircraft and also potentially on its commercial aircraft.
Manufacturing Operations & Supply Chain Build-Out
The company is in the process of developing the infrastructure necessary to manufacture its aircraft and propulsion systems reliably, at scale, and in a cost-effective manner. That involves two main aspects: developing the necessary component supply chain and building out the company’s manufacturing operations.
With regards to the company’s manufacturing operations, it currently has manufacturing facilities in Silicon Valley, California, and Covington, Georgia. The company’s manufacturing facilities in Silicon Valley are being utilized to build certain of the initial Midnight aircraft used as part of its certification and early commercialization efforts, as well as the electric propulsion systems that are used in the Midnight aircraft and will be used in its production aircraft post-certification. The company’s manufacturing facility in Covington, ARC, is to be utilized for ramping manufacturing of its aircraft to a high rate. The company completed construction of this facility in December 2024 and plans to begin manufacturing aircraft there in the first half of 2025 and ramp its production from there to support its commercialization efforts. This facility is a 350,000 square-foot facility that is designed to be capable of ramping up to support production of up to 650 aircraft per year. The company has also designed that facility so that it can be expanded to approximately 900,000 square feet to support its longer-term production targets of over 2,000 aircraft per year. The company is working to finalize its planned agreement with Stellantis N.V. (‘Stellantis’), pursuant to which Stellantis will serve as the contract manufacturer of its Midnight aircraft at ARC, with the goal of helping the company scale Midnight’s manufacturing to 650 aircraft annually by 2030 through an obligation to cover manufacturing labor costs, as well as certain capital expenditures.
Government Regulation and Compliance
To operate its UAM service, the company is required to hold a Part 135 Air Carrier and Operator Certificate and register as an air taxi operator with the DOT. In 2024, the company obtained its Part 135 Air Carrier and Operator Certificate from the FAA, which allows it to begin operating aircraft commercially to refine its systems and procedures in advance of launching Midnight into commercial service. In February 2024, the company received its Part 145 Repair Station Certificate, which lays the foundation for it to operate repair stations that perform maintenance, repair, and overhaul services on the company’s aircraft, and it received its Part 141 Certificate, which enables it to train and qualify pilots in its training academy.
Intellectual Property
The company relies on various intellectual property laws, confidentiality procedures, and contractual terms to protect its proprietary technology and its brand. The company has registered and applied for the registration of U.S. and international trademarks, service marks, and domain names. The company has also filed patent applications in the United States and foreign countries covering certain of its technology. In general, its issued patents expire between 2040 and 2045.
‘Archer’ and the company’s other registered and common law trade names and trademarks of the company.
Research and Development
The company’s research and development expense for the year ended December 31, 2024, was $357.7 million.
History
Archer Aviation Inc. was incorporated in 2018.