Archer

Correct.

There’s a tremendous opportunity to improve all aspects of the aviation industry with today’s AI and software technology. That’s why we’re partnering with Palantir Technologies on the road to building the AI foundation for the next generation of critical aviation systems. To start, we’ll begin using their Foundry and AIP platforms to accelerate the scaling of our aircraft manufacturing capabilities in Georgia and Silicon Valley. From there, we'll begin work on developing software platforms for air traffic control, movement control and route planning to ensure pilots, air traffic controllers and the rest of the industry are equipped with the best software and technology possible. Link: https://lnkd.in/giqvj9pH

Hardware is hard and capital intensive. As the evtol industry matures, we're seeing consolidation. We found some superstar engineers at Lillium that are joining the Archer squad. We opened up a Munich office today to continue to add the best engineers Europe has. It’s sad Europe couldn’t figure out this industry, but the best talent will find a home at Archer.

Spent time with Ted Cruz and other members of his team in DC last week. He’s done a great job making Texas a pro-business environment and, like me, is bullish on the future of aviation. To make the future we want, we have to build it. More to come.

Spring vibes. 

My interest in eVTOL spans back to when I was serving as Federal Aviation Administration Administrator and doing my part to lead the organization toward safely enabling this new and exciting technology. It’s been an honor to then join Archer and help advance this next chapter of aviation innovation with one of the companies leading the way. Thanks to Jason Pritchard and eVTOL Insights for the thoughtful nomination to your 2025 Powerbook and congrats to other leaders who are being recognized for their contributions to our industry as well. https://lnkd.in/eyntr_Nc

Last year, President Trump declared air mobility as one of his top priorities. Yesterday, Transportation Secretary Duffy invited me to DC to help him & the Federal Aviation Administration Administrator understand how we can expedite Archer's launch in US cities. America will lead.

Certification Progress | Over the last few months, our efforts have largely been focused on our safety of flight activities related to our piloted aircraft. We have now completed 700+ flight hours on our iron bird—testing numerous potential failure modes across many of Midnight’s key systems in advance of planned for credit testing on the aircraft.  We continue to be largely focused on the fourth phase of our certification program with the Federal Aviation Administration. We now have FAA approval for ~13% of the total compliance verification documents in this final phase before type certification.  

Starting aircraft production at ARC ✈️ We're now starting production of our first Midnight aircraft at our ARC facility in Covington, GA. The plan is to build up to 10 Midnight aircraft this year to support our ongoing certification-related testing programs and deployments with key partners. We believe this will help us build operational expertise, generate revenue and strengthen long-term demand.

Some thoughts on our Midnight Launch Edition program, Archer Defense, software and more from today’s earnings… Shareholder letter here – https://lnkd.in/g-p8KgnK