Gallery: Archer Aviation Introduces The Midnight
November 18, 2022San Jose, California-based startup Archer Aviation has unveiled a mockup of its Midnight production vehicle; a piloted, four-passenger air taxi that it says will enter service by 2025.
The air vehicle has 12 rotors driven by electric motors. The front six rotors tilt to transition between vertical and horizontal flight, while the back six rotors remain fixed and then stow in a lower drag placement during cruise.
The Midnight is based on the Maker demonstration eVTOL that Archer started flying in December 2021. That vehicle is flying multiple times per week and is poised to perform its first vertical-to-horizontal flight transition before the end of this year, Goldstein says. Archer expects the Midnight to reach critical design review in the first half of 2023.