Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) developer Archer Aviation is setting up a UK subsidiary and engineering hub in Southwest England to target the country’s defence market.
Archer has lured Dr Limhi Somerville, who it describes as “one of the top British eVTOL engineering leaders”, from rival Vertical Aerospace to run the business. Somerville, who was previously with car maker Jaguar Land Rover, spent six years with the UK start-up and was its director of engineering.
The Californian company is part of a collaboration led by Anduril Industries and GKN Aerospace, announced last week, to explore the potential of producing an autonomous collaborative platform (ACP) demonstrator for the British Army’s Nyx requirement.
Archer says it will also “[explore] other opportunities” to work with GKN at its Isle of Wight airframe facility, with its new UK unit “contributing its latest advancements in eVTOL aircraft development and hybrid propulsion to meet the British Army’s operational requirements”.
Archer’s founder and chief executive Adam Goldstein says the UK “has the talent and industrial base to be a major player in driving the next era of advanced aerospace and defence” and that its decision to open a UK base “underscores our commitment to being an integral part of the next generation of aerospace and defence in the country”. A specific location for the subsidiary has not been confirmed.
The UK’s Nyx project, which could involve up to four potential bidders, is due to be launched in early 2026 and conclude in 2028 after flight testing including in combination with Boeing’s AH-64E attack helicopter.
GKN in June announced that it would be supplying “key airframe components” for Archer’s four-seat Midnight eVTOL platform, including its wing, from its UK facilities. It already supplies the aircraft’s electrical wiring interconnection systems from its site in the Netherlands.
Archer has been pivoting to the military market as it touts the “dual use” aspect of its design. It recently signed a separate agreement with Anduril to supply the electric powertrain for its in-development Omen tail-sitter uncrewed aerial vehicle.
In August last year, Archer delivered the first of six Midnight aircraft to the US Air Force as part of a contract under which the service will evaluate the platform’s potential for missions such as medical evacuation, cargo, surveillance and reconnaissance flights.
With the US Federal Aviation Administration still some way off issuing type certificates to Archer and its main US competitor Joby Aviation, both companies’ prospects of having their aircraft in commercial service in 2026 look slim. However, the two developers have launched certification campaigns in the United Arab Emirates, which is keen to be the first nation with a so-called urban air mobility network.
