"Air taxis" also "enlist" in the military? Archer collaborates with Anduril to launch a military model, stock price surges by 20%

Archer Aviation (ACHR.US) CEO Adam Goldstein said at the Farnborough International Airshow on Monday that the company is fully focused on the certification work for its air taxi and aims to achieve commercial operations before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Archer announced the Thunder autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) defense aircraft in partnership with Anduril on Monday, designed to cooperate with manned aircraft and helicopters in combat. The two companies established their partnership in 2024. Boosted by this news, Archer's stock price surged nearly 20% on the same day. "This has always been an ambitious goal," Goldstein said. "It remains an ambitious goal, but we will do everything we can to achieve it." Archer is known for developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, aimed at reducing emissions and traffic pressure in urban congestion areas. However, the technology has faced regulatory and infrastructure obstacles, leading to repeated delays in the certification timeline. In recent months, Archer and its peers have benefited from the latest eVTOL pilot program by the Trump administration, which aims to accelerate deployment and has been testing in 26 states across the U.S. Goldstein said, "Building trust with the public and regulatory agencies is crucial, ultimately driving our certification process. This step will play a decisive role in whether we can meet our goals on time." As the U.S. military increases investment in battlefield technology and continues to introduce artificial intelligence tools, Archer and its peers are also steadily expanding their defense business sector. Goldstein said that in the context of escalating political tensions at GEO Group Inc, defense applications represent a "huge market" for Archer. He added that the aircraft in the defense sector do not need to go through the same certification process required for commercial purposes. "The applications we can bring in the defense sector are impressive and exactly what the military personnel urgently need," Goldstein said.