Midnight eVTOL
Archer’s decision to add defense as a line of business beyond manufacturing and operating commercial air taxis has paid off with contracts worth up to $142 million from the U.S. Air Force’s AFWerx innovation unit, including delivery of up to six Midnight electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicles.
The award is similar to one received by Joby Aviation in April to deliver and operate up to nine of its S4 eVTOL aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. The first of those has rolled off the assembly line and is one of two planned to be delivered to Edwards AFB, California, in early 2024.
Archer has not disclosed when it will begin deliveries of its Midnight aircraft, to where or whether, like Joby, the award is for services to the Air Force using contractor-owned, contractor-operated aircraft. Archer rolled out the first full-scale prototype of the Midnight in May but has yet to begin flight tests.
The award to Archer covers multiple contracts to share flight-test data and certification-related test reports, pilot training and the development of maintenance and repair operations. The startup has been working with AFWerx since 2021 to share data from flight testing of its Maker subscale demonstrator.
Archer in May established a government services advisory board, staffed by retired military officers, in a bid to capitalize on potential collaboration opportunities with the U.S. Defense Department. The startup cites military interest in the Midnight for missions including personal transport, logistics and rescue.
AFWerx has signed small business contracts with several advanced air mobility (AAM) startups. They include eVTOL companies Joby, Archer and Beta Technologies, hybrid-electric uncrewed cargo aircraft developers Elroy Air, Sabrewing and MightyFly, as well as electric short-takeoff-and-landing pioneer Electra.aero.
Joby has long identified defense as its second business segment after commercial air taxis and has been working with AFWerx since 2019, sharing data from uncrewed flight tests of its full-scale demonstrators and working with the Air Force to develop a pilot training syllabus for its eVTOL aircraft.
Ron Boxall, a retired Navy vice admiral who sits on Archer's Government Services Advisory Board, told the AAM Report following the contract award that the partnership will likely explore issues related to pilot training and maintenance requirements for battery-electric and eVTOL aircraft.
"The military doesn't understand yet what it takes to operate and maintain an aircraft like this, so there's going to be an opening of data coming out of this partnership," Boxall says. "They'll be trying to figure out how this thing flies, what are its limitations, what aspects could be used for a military advantage."
In the longer-term, he says the military can benefit from the Midnight's low noise profile, cost-efficient operation and lack of emissions.
"This will allow Archer to get these things into the hands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, and I guarantee that once they experience it, people will realize this is a cheaper way to do business, and we don't need exquisite aircraft to do these basic functions," Boxall says. "That's how we start, and then as Archer grows and builds more capable and powerful batteries, I think the possibilities will exponentially explode."
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