Archer's Midnight eVTOL completes in-country flight test campaign in UAE

Archer announced on Thursday that its Midnight aircraft has completed an in-country flight test campaign in the UAE's local operating environment and over desert areas. The campaign is considered a major step in implementing AAM in Abu Dhabi. Archer has now begun receiving payments under its definitive agreement with Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) related to its Launch Edition program, which aims to make Abu Dhabi the first in the world to launch commercial Midnight operations. "We designed Midnight to be able to handle challenging weather environments like the UAE with its sand and heat, and it delivered the results we expected it to across all phases of flight," said Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. "Our ‘Launch Edition' program has proven to be an effective framework to help accelerate Archer and our partners' progress toward commercialization in Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE." The test campaign demonstrated Midnight's performance and reliability during vertical takeoff, transition and wingborne flight under UAE-specific conditions. It was conducted with the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority, ADA and the Integrated Transport Centre. Archer plans to begin the next phase of the program by recruiting and training local pilots with the help of Etihad Aviation Training. RELATED STORIES: Archer to acquire airport for $126M in Los Angeles for air taxi testing Archer to participate in Tokyo's eVTOL Implementation Project Archer named air taxi partner for LA Sports andamp; Entertainment Commission "The successful completion of these initial flight tests highlights Abu Dhabi's commitment to creating an innovation-friendly environment that will support efforts to successfully implement eVTOL aircraft into the UAE's airspace," said Mahmood Al Hameli, group CEO of Abu Dhabi Aviation Group. "Our collaboration with Archer continues to demonstrate how partnerships between global innovators and local industry leaders, via Archer's ‘Launch Edition' program, can accelerate the arrival of this transformative new mode of transportation in the UAE and beyond."