{"id":"acc07fdb-25f5-429d-a969-07bfe9398e0d","slug":"faa-aam-evtol-pilot-program-archer-2026-03-09","kind":"regulatory_action","headline":"Archer Aviation selected for FAA AAM Integration Pilot Program spanning 26 states for Midnight eVTOL testing","summary":"On March 9, 2026, Archer Aviation was named among the companies selected for the FAA's Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, enabling testing of its Midnight eVTOL aircraft across 26 states before full type certification. The three-year program allows Archer to prepare for commercial air taxi operations including Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics.","occurredAt":"2026-03-09T00:00:00.000Z","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":"moderate","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":"2026-08-03T14:05:18.069Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-09T05:24:01.599Z","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","heatIndex":79,"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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The three-year program allows Archer to prepare for commercial air taxi operations including Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics.","identifier":"acc07fdb-25f5-429d-a969-07bfe9398e0d","datePublished":"2026-03-09T00:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"regulatory action","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":2,"primary_source_types":["primary-regulatory-filing","secondary-industry-publication"]}}}