GKN Aerospace and Archer Aviation are expanding their collaboration to include the manufacture and supply of key airframe components for Archer’s Midnight eVTOL air taxi, with production taking place in the UK.
“This partnership will help the eVTOL market continue to move from the R&D to industrialization phase, and we are excited to help usher in the future of flight,” said GKN president of civil airframes John Pritchard.
Midnight is designed to carry four passengers and a pilot, with reduced noise and emissions compared with traditional helicopters. Featuring 12 electric motors and propellers, Midnight is built with redundancy and safety levels targeting those of airliners.
GKN will manufacture Midnight’s wing structure, applying its expertise in lightweight aerostructures and wing technologies. The two companies have collaborated since 2023 on the aircraft’s low-voltage electrical wiring interconnection systems, supplied from GKN’s facility in the Netherlands.
The wing production work will be carried out at GKN’s Global Technology Center in Bristol and across its European sites. Advanced manufacturing technologies will be used to ensure the wing meets stringent safety, performance, and certification requirements.
GKN supplies major aerospace OEMs and advanced air mobility platforms. The expanded collaboration with Archer reflects ongoing efforts to support emerging technologies in sustainable aviation.