Archer Aviation has delivered its first Midnight aircraft to the USAF to evaluate as part of its AFWERX Agility Prime contract valued at up to $142 million.

The delivery comes after the US Department of Defense accepted Midnight’s military airworthiness assessment, a critical approval that confirms Midnight’s readiness for flight testing by AFWERX. This allows AFWERX to conduct government-directed testing of the aircraft for the US Air Force and validate operational and military-specific mission concepts.

A team of USAF personnel worked alongside Archer’s flight test team to ramp up operations with Midnight at Salinas. Together, these teams executed simulated medical evacuation, cargo, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights.

With its vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, proprietary electric powertrain and low noise profile, Archer's Midnight aircraft is intriguimg for military aviation operations.

Archer’s Midnight aircraft is expected to provide a much safer, cost-effective and quieter alternative to existing internal combustion engine options. As such, it holds the promise of enhancing rapid response, agility and operational effectiveness across a wide range of mission profiles.

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force (DAF). As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed more than 6,100 new contracts worth more than $4 billion to strengthen the US defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability.