Archer Aviation is seeking to turn the electric powertrain developed for its Midnight air taxi into a full-fledged business line of its own, signing a powerplant supply agreement with Anduril Industries and UAE defense group EDGE, while also seeking to cement additional deals with other aircraft makers.
The announcement, made at the Dubai Airshow on November 17, 2025, will see Archer provide its proprietary electric powertrain for Omen, a hover-to-cruise autonomous air vehicle (AAV) that Anduril and EDGE are co-developing and building in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has committed to an initial order of 50 Omen systems, possibly giving Archer an early indication of demand for the new line of business.
It is the first time Archer has made its in-house powertrain, originally developed for its piloted, four-passenger Midnight eVTOL, available to another manufacturer. The company says the move opens a new revenue stream alongside its planned urban air mobility operations.
From eVTOLs to system supplier
The announcement builds on Archer’s December 2024 partnership with Anduril to co-develop a hybrid-propulsion VTOL aircraft for defense customers, a program backed by roughly $430 million in equity and now housed within a dedicated “Archer Defense” unit.
Since then, Archer has delivered a Midnight aircraft to the US Air Force under its AFWERX Agility Prime contract, where it is being evaluated for missions such as medevac, cargo transport, and intelligence gathering.
The new Omen powertrain deal suggests Archer now views the technology it has developed as a product it can sell independently of its aircraft programs. Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein underscored that shift in Dubai.
“Most see our Midnight eVTOL as an aircraft; we view Midnight as a platform that plays host to a wide range of new technologies,” Goldstein said, calling the Anduril agreement the first of “many” to come.
Omen autonomous air vehicle
Omen is an eVTOL designed for a broad set of civil and military uses. Anduril and EDGE are positioning the system for defense and security missions, with the UAE seeing autonomous aircraft as an important step in building more of its own defense industry.
Shane Arnott, Anduril’s Senior Vice President of Engineering, said the company has been developing Omen for more than five years. “By combining the Archer team’s expertise in powertrain technology with a little bit of Anduril magic, we’ve been able to mature our propulsion solution,” he said, adding that Archer’s more developed system should make it easier to produce Omen in larger numbers.
Archer’s contribution centers on the vertically integrated battery pack and electric engine system designed for Midnight. The company says it manufactures the powertrain across nearly 1 million square feet of US facilities, using automation in key steps to support consistent, high-rate production for both commercial and defense customers.
The Dubai Airshow announcement is the latest in a series of overseas moves for Archer. The company has signed an exclusive agreement with Korean Air to commercialize advanced air mobility across several markets, and authorities in Osaka and Tokyo have selected Archer and its local partner to lead AAM deployments in those cities.
Midnight is a piloted eVTOL that seats four passengers and a pilot. Archer says it is designed to turn 60- to 90-minute car trips into 10- to 20-minute electric flights. The company also says the aircraft can operate frequent short routes thanks to quick charging and has secured several notable commitments from airlines.
