US-based Archer Aviation has achieved a major milestone with its Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft- which will operate as a flying taxi in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 2025. Midnight successfully completed a transition flight, where it took off vertically, accelerated to over 360 kilometres per hour in forward flight, and then landed vertically again.
Transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight is a crucial step for eVTOLs, often considered a significant hurdle in the industry. During the transition, the aircraft acts like both a helicopter and a plane – using vertical thrust to take off, then tilting its propellers forward to achieve wing-borne, high-speed flight like a traditional airplane. This ability to transition is essential for eVTOLs like Midnight to carry enough passengers and cargo for commercial viability.
Currently undergoing testing in the United States, Midnight is destined for the skies of the United Arab Emirates. Archer Aviation plans to establish manufacturing facilities for Midnight in the UAE, collaborating with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio). They will also set up their international headquarters in the Emirate, solidifying their commitment to the region's urban air mobility ambitions.
“Successfully completing the transition from hover to wing-borne flight with a full-scale eVTOL aircraft is a tremendous engineering feat that only a handful of companies in the world have achieved,” said Dr Geoff Bower, chief engineer at Archer.
“Over the seven eVTOL aircraft I’ve built and flown in my career, they have gotten progressively larger as we pursued payloads that made the aircraft platform commercially viable. Midnight is believed to be one of the largest eVTOL aircraft ever to achieve transition and one of the first that is purpose-built to carry enough passengers to be able to operate a successful air taxi business,” he said.
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