The first appearance of Archer Aviation’s Midnight aircraft at the NBAA show became more-symbolic as news broke on 15 October that the California start-up successfully bid to acquire the assets of now-defunct electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) developer Lilium.
During last year’s NBAA show, Lilium was in fire-extinguishing mode, attempting to calm investors as it lost half of a €100 million ($108 million) German loan guarantee. That turned out to be the beginning of the end for the German start-up, as failures to secure additional financing led to insolvency and the eventual collapse of the ambitious Lilium Jet development programme.
Ultimately, the Lilium Jet – or a mock-up at least – made its last major air show appearance at last year’s NBAA.
In recent weeks, Archer and rival California start-up Joby Aviation engaged in a competitive bid process to acquire Lilium’s patent portfolio, which was the result of nearly a decade of development and some $1.5 billion in spending.
Archer emerged victorious on 15 October with a winning bid of €18 million, noting that it has acquired more than 300 patents “including ducted fans, propeller systems, high-voltage systems, battery management, aircraft design, flight controls and electric engines”.
“Lilium’s pioneering work advanced the frontier of eVTOL design and technology, and we’re excited to bring their cutting-edge technologies into the fold at Archer as we advance our product roadmap,” says Adam Goldstein, Archer’s founder and chief executive.
Archer says that Lilium’s development work was “considered by many to be technologically ahead of its time”.
“Through this purchase, Archer gains key enabling technologies that bolster its current platforms, including what is believed to be the leading patent portfolio of ducted fan technology in the world,” the start-up says.
Midnight’s presence in the foyer of the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center is ”representative of the continued momentum the eVTOL sector is experiencing as we ready to integrate this new and innovative technology into the US transportation system”, Goldstein tells FlightGlobal.
