Archer and Anduril Join Hybrid Defense Drone Chase

Archer Aviation and autonomous system specialist Anduril rolled out their plans for a family of hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft on Monday. On the opening morning of the Farnborough International Airshow, the U.S. partners unveiled a mockup of a Group 5 model called Thunder, which they described as an autonomous attack rotorcraft.

The program joins similar initiatives from other eVTOL aircraft developers chasing the spike in defense spending on autonomous platforms to supplement piloted warplanes. These include rivals Joby Aviation, Vertical Aerospace, and Beta Technologies, which is exhibiting the MV250 hybrid-electric autonomous derivative of its CX300 electric aircraft.

Other versions of the tiltrotor VTOL design are expected to be offered for commercial applications, with Archer expected to announce launch customers later this week for a model called Halo. According to the company, Thunder and the other variants are “designed for the operations that need to move heavy payloads over long distances, into places without a runway, at a lower cost than traditional platforms.”

Anduril (which is leading the defense missionization work) and Archer say they can deliver a new class of vertical-lift autonomous aircraft. However, they declined to detail anticipated speed, range, and payload specifications on the basis that they are actively competing for military contracts.

The partners expect to begin test flights of the Thunder prototype in 2027, but have not said when they will begin deliveries. The companies said they have already flown what they described as “a full-scale surrogate aircraft.”

Based on the powertrain Archer developed for its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL air taxi, the series’ hybrid-electric powertrain drives the rotors directly from electric motors and features a turbogenerator. The propulsion system also includes wing-mounted optimum-speed tiltrotors that vary the revolutions per minute to maintain efficiency through different phases of flight, reducing power demand and fuel burn in cruise as well as reducing noise to avoid detection by hostile forces during low-altitude approaches.

In the UK, Vertical is working on a hybrid-electric adaptation of its six-seater Valo eVTOL that it aims to start flying in 2027. The aircraft, which could be piloted or autonomous, is expected to have a payload of 1,100 kilograms (2,420 pounds) and a range of 870 nm.