Archer Aviation has recruited the services of a long-standing Vertical Aerospace employee, as the US electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer launches a new UK subsidiary.
On December 16, 2025, Archer unveiled plans for a new engineering hub in South West England under its newly established subsidiary, Archer Aviation UK Limited.
With the UK division in place, Archer aims to build and grow a UK-based team in the country to support its work in the region.
Joining Archer is Limhi Somerville, the current director of engineering at UK based eVTOL developer Vertical Aerospace. He will join Archer in early 2026.
Somerville has worked at Vertical for six years and previously held positions as the developer’s head of battery and head of powertrain before becoming a director in 2024.
“The UK has the talent and industrial base to be a major player in driving the next era of advanced aerospace and defense. Archer’s plans to open a UK engineering hub underscores our commitment to being an integral part of the next-generation of aerospace and defense in the country,” said Adam Goldstein, Archer’s founder and CEO.
He added: “Bringing a leader of Limhi’s caliber onto the team is critical as we look to continue to accelerate the development of our hybrid-propulsion, dual-use aircraft.”
Somerville said the opportunity to join Archer and support the development of its aircraft was “compelling”.
“Archer is pairing realistic innovation with the capital, manufacturing capabilities, and strategic partnerships required to actually deliver next-generation aerospace and defense technologies at scale,” he said.
Anduril, GKN Aerospace and Archer
Last week, Archer teamed up with Anduril and GKN Aerospace to initially focus on the British Army’s Project NYX and the Ministry of Defense’s Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform program.
On December 9, 2025, GKN Aerospace and Anduril signed an agreement to collaborate on next-generation uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) solutions for UK defense programs.
According to a press release, Archer will offer “novel solutions for key UK Army UAV and rotorcraft contracts”.
“Our continued work in the United Kingdom reflects the strength of our partnership with Anduril and the speed at which our domestic supply base is coming together. With Archer’s eVTOL and rotorcraft technologies, Anduril’s autonomy, and GKN Aerospace’s industrial capability working as one, we have a team that can deliver the next generation of advanced aviation for the UK,” commented Goldstein.
