Archer Gets Two Big Orders For Its Electric Aircraft

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I wrote the other day about Archer Aviation preparing for electric air taxi service in Los Angeles and San Francisco for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. A month prior, we wrote about Stellantis (the giant automaker) investing $55 million into Archer. But news from Archer is moving on quickly. The latest announcements from the past few days are that Archer has landed two big orders — one big in volume, and one big because of who the buyer is and what that could mean down the line.

116 Archer Electric Aircraft Ordered

Future Flight Global signed an agreement with Archer and plans to buy 116 electric “Midnight” aircraft from Archer. That’s a planned purchase totaling $580 million.

“Along with this MOU, Future Flight Global made an initial deposit, and the MOU sets out nearly $5M in pre-delivery payments to be paid upon the completion of the parties’ definitive aircraft purchase agreement,” Archer writes. “Future Flight Global was founded by members of the leadership team at Titan Aviation which has been operating business jets worldwide for over two decades. This aircraft purchase is planned to support the companies’ joint launch of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft operations in key global markets.”

Now, here’s a big statement: this latest large order takes Archer’s “indicative order book” to $6 billion. Of course, those orders were made very early, are conditional, and are estimates based on a variety of factors and assumptions.

Markets where Future Flight Global (FFG) plans to roll out electric air taxis with Archer include Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

“The aviation industry is on the cusp of its most exciting revolution in decades,” says Karan Singh, CEO and Founder of FFG. “We’re partnering with Archer to provide tailored, flexible aviation services to our top clients in some of the world’s most exciting destinations. Midnight’s versatility makes it well-suited to diverse routes and mission profiles, while also providing a world-class experience and operational efficiency that’s attractive to our corporate clients.”

“This new agreement both grows our prospective order book to nearly $6B, and opens up Archer’s global reach to premium international markets,” says Andrew Cummins, Director of Business Development at Archer. “As our first private aviation partner, and with their deep ties in aviation and bold approach, FFG is positioned to be a new leader in modern aviation. Partnering with Karan and the team at FFG was an obvious choice and an ideal relationship for Archer.”

United States Air Force Orders from Archer, Too

When the US Air Force or Army buys from you, man, you are in a good spot. If they are happy with their order, you can be set for life selling that product to them on an ongoing basis. So, I definitely took note when I saw that the United States Air Force also just signed an order agreement with Archer.

It’s not for 116 electric aircraft, but it’s a start. However, it’s gone beyond the order stage (in a way). Archer has delivered basically a test vehicle to the Air Force. They are going to evaluate it, and if all looks good, boom, bam, ca-ching. The “AFWERX Agility Prime” contract as it stands is for up to $142 million worth of aircraft. However, if the Air Force is happy enough with the Midnight to order $142 million worth, it could order a lot more than that.

“The delivery comes after the U.S. Department of Defense accepted Midnight’s military airworthiness assessment, a critical approval that confirms Midnight’s readiness for flight testing by AFWERX. This allows AFWERX to conduct government-directed testing of the aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and validate operational and military-specific mission concepts,” Archer writes. “A team of USAF personnel worked alongside Archer’s flight test team to ramp up operations with Midnight at Salinas. Together, these teams executed simulated medical evacuation, cargo, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights.”

“Archer’s Midnight aircraft has the potential to significantly enhance our operational capabilities,” said Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX Director and Chief Commercialization Officer for the Department of the Air Force. “We look forward to continuing our work with our industry partners as we explore the ways that this advanced aircraft can contribute to the mission.”

Could Archer’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft become a staple of the US Air Force? We’ll see.

Related story: Southwest Airlines & Archer Aviation to Develop Operational Concepts for Electric Air Taxi Network

Featured image courtesy of Archer Aviation

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