Archer Poaches Vertical Engineer Ahead of U.K. Air Taxi Push

Archer Aviation, a California-based electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi developer, is putting down roots on both sides of the Atlantic.

On Tuesday, the company revealed plans to establish an engineering center in south-west England, which will be operated by new subsidiary Archer Aviation UK Limited. The move expands the size of its main manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia, which can also be supplemented by production capacity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“The UK has the talent and industrial base to become a major player in driving the next era of advanced aerospace and defence,” said Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. “Archer’s plans to open a UK engineering center underlines our commitment to becoming an integral part of the country’s next generation of aerospace and defence.”

Archer has also poached engineer Limhi Somerville from its biggest British rival Vertical Aerospace, which last week launched its flagship electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, the Valo.

Like Archer’s Midnight, Valo is designed for zero-emission flight in urban environments, carrying up to four passengers and producing a fraction of the noise of a helicopter. Somerville spent six years at Vertical, leading its battery and powertrain development, most recently as director of engineering. He will join Archer’s team in early 2026, the company said.

Acquiring team members from competitors was a blueprint the company had deployed before. Earlier this year, for example, George Kivork, former head of U.S. state and local policy at rival Joby Aviation, joined Archer as regional general manager for Los Angeles.

However, this strategy got the company into trouble. Joby sued Archer and Kivork in November, accusing the rival of using Kivork’s trade secrets to undercut an exclusive deal it had planned to finalize. Archer denies the accusations.

Wisk Aero, Boeing’s eVTOL unit, sued Archer in 2021 and also accused a former employee of stealing trade secrets. Archer immediately countersued. The two companies eventually settled for an undisclosed amount, with Boeing making an investment to fund the integration of Wisk’s autonomous technology into future variants of Midnight.

Midnight is a manned, four-person electric vertical takeoff and landing model with a cruising speed of approximately 150 mph and is designed for trips of 10-20 minutes and 20-50 minutes. Its six battery packs each power a pair of motors and propellers, half of which can tilt to support hover and forward flight.

In the United States, Archer is working with United Airlines (which has ordered up to 200 aircraft) and Southwest Airlines to establish a network of air taxis in major urban centers. The company shared maps of potential routes to New York, Miami and Los Angeles and recently acquired Hawthorne Municipal Airport (KHHR) for $126 million.

The company will operate Midnight through its Part 135 subsidiary Archer Air. The company also sells air taxis to customers including United and Future Flight Global, which earlier this year ordered as many as 116 aircraft. Automaker Stellantis plans to invest up to $400 million through 2030 to support production of about 650 aircraft per year at Archer’s Covington plant.

Although Midnight has not yet been certified by the US FAA, once it is approved, it may soon receive validation from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In June, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and four other aviation regulators, including the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), announced a partnership to harmonize their eVTOL standards. The idea of ​​a five-party agreement is that each regulator can quickly accept any certification program approved by the other regulator.

Midnight’s potential entry into the UK could become a competitor to Vertical. Before that happens, though, Archer plans to take part in a series of operational demonstrations.

Last week, Anduril UK and GKN Aerospace announced their participation in the British Army’s NYX project, the first phase of the UK Ministry of Defence’s Land Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) programme. Land ACP seeks an unmanned aircraft to pair with an Apache AH-64E attack helicopter, similar to the U.S. military’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.

The NYX program will include the development of a capability concept demonstrator aircraft, with exercises planned for 2027 and 2028. GKN is the airframe manufacturing and electrical integration partner on the project. Archer will offer its expertise in eVTOL and hybrid propulsion systems to the partners. It also said the partners would explore “other opportunities” at GKN’s fuselage production facility on the Isle of Wight.

The partnership strengthens Archer’s relationship with Anduril, its partner for Midnight’s autonomous hybrid electric model. The companies plan to market the concept to military customers. Archer also lent its powertrain to Anduril’s recently released Omen – another self-driving model with defensive capabilities.

Archer continues to expand its global reach by establishing roots in the UK. The company announced three “launch” customers – the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Airways, Ethiopia’s Ethiopian Airlines and Indonesia’s PT IKN – that will each operate an initial fleet of air taxis and work with Archer for pilot training, flight operations and other tasks. The idea is to let these early adopters help shape the company’s commercial rollout in other markets.

In addition, Archer has received orders for up to 100 aircraft each from Korean Air, Emirates Air Chateau and Soracle, a joint venture between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corporation. Another Korean operator, KakaoMobility, plans to purchase as many as 50 aircraft.