Archer Aviation, a California-based eVTOL company, reported that it has expanded its partnership with the US Department of Defense (DoD), and had signed new contracts with the US Air Force that had a total value of up to USD 142 million.

The company has been partnering with the DoD since 2021. The current phase includes 1) the delivery of up to six of Archer’s Midnight aircrafts to the Air Force, 2) sharing of additional flight test data and certification related test reports, 3) pilot training, and 4) developing maintenance and repair operations.

Analyst QuickTake: Archer’s Midnight aircraft is capable of transporting five people on back-to-back short-distance trips of around 20 miles with a charging time of ~10 minutes in between. The company also claims that the aircraft is almost 1,000x quieter than a helicopter and has no single critical point of failure—meaning it can safely complete its flight even with component failures. In May 2023 , the company reported that it planned to complete the final assembly of its Midnight aircraft in Q4 2023 and begin piloted flight test operations in early 2024.