A member of the US Air Force views Midnight during a recent testing flight. Credit: Archer Aviation.

Archer Aviation has delivered its first Midnight electric vertical take-off and landing (eVOTL) aircraft to the US Air Force (USAF) according to a company release on 15 August 2024.

The service will evaluate the platform as part of its AFWERX agility prime contract valued at up to $142m.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

As the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups in the US to address the most pressing challenges of the service.

Established in 2019, with five hubs and an annual budget of $1.4bn, AFWERX has executed over 6,100 new contracts worth more than $4bn to strengthen the US defense industrial base.

The delivery comes after the US Department of Defense accepted Midnight’s military airworthiness assessment, a critical approval that confirms Midnight’s readiness for flight testing by AFWERX. Until now, the platform has proven popular in the commercial world. In April, an agreement was signed that covers several multi-hundred-million dollar investments to accelerate Archer’s planned commercial air taxi operations in the United Arab Emirates.

See Also:

Military evaluation allows AFWERX to conduct government-directed testing of the aircraft for the USAF and validate operational and military-specific mission concepts.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

A team of USAF personnel worked alongside Archer’s flight test team to ramp up operations with Midnight at Salinas, California. Together, the teams executed simulated medical evacuation, cargo, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights.

GlobaData intelligence indicates that the USAF agency has been a part of the programme since 2021.

Midnight represents the evolved version of Archer’s Maker prototype eVTOL aircraft, which successfully confirmed its unique 12-tilt-6 configuration and essential enabling technologies in November 2022.

Archer’s inaugural Midnight aircraft was assembled in May 2023, following a successful two-year flight test campaign involving two Maker aircraft.

The company aims to begin the commercial operations of the aircraft in 2025 and reach scaled operations by 2028. It is expected to deploy 6,000 Midnight aircraft by 2030, as part of its commercialisation strategy.