{"id":"70fdd037-480a-4672-89ad-b41d160b3217","slug":"regulatory-action-2026-06-15-archer-aviation","kind":"regulatory_action","headline":"Archer Aviation completes FAA Phase 3 certification for Midnight eVTOL","summary":"Archer Aviation became the first eVTOL company to complete FAA Phase 3 of type certification for its Midnight aircraft. Initial US operations expected in 2026. Archer ended Q1 2026 with ~.8B in liquidity.","occurredAt":"2026-06-15T12:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"reviewed","modelId":"bccc0868-ceb8-402d-996a-4d3952d881e2","deploymentId":"1f3c3868-8bb5-4028-8699-e2ba1a365f99","companyId":"836c57b7-874b-452c-a576-292c6739baa5","dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"minor","rootCauseCategory":null,"rootCauseDetail":null,"affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":null,"regulatoryAction":"other","regulatoryBody":"FAA","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":null,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":null,"latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-07-03T03:35:46.136Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-14T21:53:38.350Z","model":{"id":"bccc0868-ceb8-402d-996a-4d3952d881e2","companyId":"836c57b7-874b-452c-a576-292c6739baa5","modelName":"Archer Midnight","slug":"archer-midnight","description":"Five-seat eVTOL aircraft with 12 tilt-six rotors. Targeting 60-mile range at 150 mph. FAA G-1 Issue Paper issued; Type Certificate application in progress. United Airlines launch customer.","formFactor":"aerial","industryVertical":"passenger_transport","environment":"airspace","maturityStage":"prototype","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"range_km":"97","speed_kmh":"241"},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://www.archer.com/aircraft","title":"Midnight aircraft page","sourceName":"Archer"},{"url":"https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/design_approvals/civil/airplanes/electronic_aircraft/media/Archer_G1_Issue_Paper.pdf","title":"FAA G-1 Issue Paper","sourceName":"FAA"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":"Reviewed 2026-07-14: source-gated bulk flip (non-empty sources[]). Ben-approved.","manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":[{"label":"Product","value":"Archer Midnight - eVTOL aircraft for urban air mobility; tilt-rotor design; 4 passengers + pilot"},{"label":"Funding","value":"Seed $1M; A $32M; B $1B (United Airlines lead); total ~$1.1B+"},{"label":"SPAC","value":"Merged with Atlas Crest 2021; NYSE: ACHR"},{"label":"FAA","value":"Part 135 air carrier certificate in progress; G-1 certification basis issued; flight testing in California"},{"label":"Strategic","value":"United Airlines $1B order; Stellantis manufacturing partnership"},{"label":"Production status","value":"6 aircraft in production (3 in final assembly at Covington, GA)"},{"label":"Manufacturing","value":"350,000 sqft facility in Covington, GA; target 650 aircraft/year"},{"label":"FAA certification","value":"Type certificate progress underway; targeting initial US operations 2026"},{"label":"LA28 Olympics","value":"Official Air Taxi Provider of LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA"}],"createdAt":"2026-06-07T15:28:34.875Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-25T00:39:54.734Z","unitsInFieldClaimed":null,"unitsInFieldVerified":null,"unitsManufacturedClaimed":null,"unitsManufacturedVerified":null,"unitsAsOf":null,"unitsSource":null,"salesModel":null,"priceUndisclosedSince":null,"autonomyClass":null,"autonomyStatement":null,"autonomyStatementSource":null,"demoForensics":null,"exportControlClass":null,"minCommitment":null,"warrantyTerms":null,"serviceModel":null,"productionRateClaimed":null,"productionRateEvidenced":null,"teleopRatioDisclosed":null,"interventionRateDisclosed":null},"deployment":{"id":"1f3c3868-8bb5-4028-8699-e2ba1a365f99","modelId":"bccc0868-ceb8-402d-996a-4d3952d881e2","versionId":null,"locationId":"fdf937a9-5eeb-4e8d-a514-ef860b351b30","operatorId":"836c57b7-874b-452c-a576-292c6739baa5","ownerId":null,"slug":"archer-midnight-wisk-acquisition-2026","status":"announced","firstSeen":"2025-06-01T00:00:00.000Z","statusChangeReason":null,"contractType":null,"pilotOutcome":null,"endedAt":null,"unitsOnSite":null,"tasksPerformed":["delivery"],"shiftStructure":null,"hoursPerDay":6,"siteType":"airport","operatorConfirmed":null,"humanSupervisionOnsite":null,"locationPrecisionTier":"verified_coordinates","deploymentScale":"undisclosed","siteEnvironment":"outdoor","operatorType":"maker_operated","sourceQualityTier":2,"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://www.latimes.com/2026/08/10/archer-boeing-wisk","title":"Archer Aviation to acquire Boeing automated air taxi effort"}],"notes":"Archer Aviation acquired Boeing Wisk Aero and SkyGrid, consolidating automated air taxi efforts. Major eVTOL industry consolidation.","keyFacts":[{"label":"Acquisition","value":"Boeing Wisk Aero + SkyGrid"},{"label":"Date","value":"August 10, 2026"}],"reviewNote":null,"exposureHours":null,"deploymentMilesEstimate":null,"exposureBasis":null,"customerSegment":"consumer","scaleTier":"undisclosed","contractValueUsd":null,"contractValueBasis":null,"customerCompanyId":null,"customerExternalName":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-17T04:21:15.204Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T14:21:27.298Z"},"company":{"id":"836c57b7-874b-452c-a576-292c6739baa5","name":"Archer Aviation","slug":"archer-aviation","description":"Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer. Midnight aircraft targeting FAA Part 135 commercial operations. Partnership with [United airlines](/companies/united-airlines) for up to 200 aircraft.","status":"public","founded":2018,"hq":"San Jose, CA, USA","hqLat":37.3361663,"hqLng":-121.890591,"hqGeocodedAt":"2026-08-05T14:19:59.682Z","hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"archeravs.com","fundingTotal":"1033000000","type":"hardware","roles":["robot_maker","robot_operator"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.archer.com/","title":"Archer official website","sourceName":"Archer"},{"url":"https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/press-releases/faa-issues-final-airworthiness-criteria-archer-aviation","title":"FAA issues final airworthiness criteria for Archer","sourceName":"FAA"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"Founded","value":"2018, Palo Alto, California"},{"label":"Founders","value":"Adam Goldstein (CEO), Brett Adcock"},{"label":"Product","value":"Archer Midnight - eVTOL aircraft for urban air mobility; tilt-rotor design; 4 passengers + pilot"},{"label":"Funding","value":"Seed $1M; A $32M; B $1B (United Airlines lead); total ~$1.1B+"},{"label":"SPAC","value":"Merged with Atlas Crest 2021; NYSE: ACHR"},{"label":"FAA","value":"Part 135 air carrier certificate in progress; G-1 certification basis issued; flight testing in California"},{"label":"Strategic","value":"United Airlines $1B order; Stellantis manufacturing partnership"},{"label":"Acquired Wisk Aero + Insitu + SkyGrid","value":"2026-08-10 (from Boeing for ~16.5% stake)"},{"label":"Boeing ownership","value":"~16.5% post-close (19.75% of pre-close shares)"},{"label":"LA28 Olympics","value":"Official Air Taxi Provider of LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA"},{"label":"Hawthorne Airport","value":"Acquired Hawthorne Municipal Airport as central operational hub for LA network"},{"label":"Manufacturing","value":"Covington, GA facility (350,000 sqft, target 650 aircraft/year)"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":"Reviewed 2026-07-14: source-gated bulk flip (non-empty sources[]). 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