Archer Aviation Unveils New Commercial Aircraft in Partnership With Anduril

Archer Aviation unveiled “Halo,” a new unmanned commercial aircraft developed in partnership with Anduril, expanding its portfolio beyond its piloted eVTOL business. The company, which has been developing an electric aircraft intended to carry four passengers through congested cities, introduced Halo on July 22. The aircraft is positioned as the commercial sibling of Anduril’s defense aircraft “Thunder,” sharing the same hybrid-electric powertrain and two large tilt rotors that lift vertically and then transition to forward flight like a conventional airplane. Halo is autonomous, unlike Archer’s “Midnight,” and is designed to perform hazardous missions without a crew on board. Archer says it has secured FAA type certification progress for Midnight, completing phase three of four, while acknowledging it has not publicly demonstrated a piloted transition. WHO is involved includes Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR) and Marubeni Aerospace, named as Halo’s strategic launch partner, though no firm orders were disclosed. The article notes Halo could address commercial demand for logistics roles, but provides no revenue figures or launch timelines.