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Business Air News Bulletin
Business Air News Bulletin
The monthly news publication for aviation professionals.
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Archer Aviation
Aircraft

Archer Midnight

BAN's World Gazetteer

California
The monthly news publication for aviation professionals.

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Archer's Midnight aircraft begins to come together
Archer has begun component manufacturing for its Midnight aircraft. The company is targeting completion of its initial Midnight aircraft in Q4 2023, with flight testing expected to commence in the middle of the year.
The Midnight is taking shape.
Read this story in our April 2023 printed issue.

Archer Aviation is nearing completion of the final assembly of its first Midnight, the production aircraft it unveiled last November. All major aerostructures (such as wing, tail and fuselage) have been built and mated together and the company has reported it has also installed a significant portion of the wiring, electronics, actuators and other systems. Archer is currently aiming to begin flight testing of this aircraft in mid-2023. This aircraft will be used to enable company testing in advance of ‘for credit’ certification testing.

The company has also now begun component manufacturing for its conforming Midnight aircraft, which will be flown with a pilot. Archer intends to build at least six of these conforming Midnight aircraft to be used as part of its ‘for credit’ testing with the FAA in support of type certification. The company is targeting completion of its initial conforming Midnight aircraft in Q4 2023. In turn, that conforming aircraft would then begin piloted flight test operations in early 2024. These conforming aircraft are set to be built at Archer's San Jose, California manufacturing facility and integrated test lab, located strategically just around the corner from its headquarters.

“A lot goes on behind the scenes to advance the development of our aircraft as efficiently as we have. I couldn't be more excited to share the news of Archer's progress on Midnight,” says Tom Muniz, Archer's COO. “This latest milestone is further validation of our strategic approach of using known building blocks to enable realistic innovation significantly de-risking our path to certification and mass manufacturing. The team and I are looking forward to moving this aircraft into flight testing soon and continuing on our path to flying our conforming aircraft in early 2024.”

Other News
 
Stellantis signals continued confidence in Archer with share purchase
March 21, 2024
Stellantis has upped its interest in Archer by around 8.3 million shares. The automaker is to mass produce the Midnight aircraft, and construction on the first phase of a manufacturing facility will be completed this year.
Archer enlists Trax eMRO and eMobility software services
February 26, 2024
Trax's eMRO and eMobility products will enable Archer's air taxi service to be completely paperless on day one, gaining operational efficiency, streamlined processes and a highly productive workforce.
Archer starts build of three conforming, piloted aircraft
February 12, 2024
Component manufacturing is well under way, and final assembly of the first three conforming Midnight aircraft should begin soon. Part 145 certification will allow Archer to operate a repair and maintenance station.