Archer supplies Midnight eVTOL powertrain to Anduril and EDGE for new Omen drone
November 19, 2025
Archer Aviation has achieved a milestone in the eVTOL industry, becoming the first developer to license its proprietary flying-taxi powertrain technology to another aerospace company. It has formed an agreement with Anduril Industries and EDGE Group to supply its electric propulsion system for a new autonomous air vehicle, marking a clear pivot from building an aircraft to offering aerospace hardware as a platform service.
Dr Talib Alhinai, Archer’s UAE lead, told Aerospace Global News on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow that EDGE will utilise Archer’s powered train for the new Omen tailsitting UAV. Omen is a new Group 3 multipurpose Anduril drone that is now being developed in partnership with the UAE’s EDGE.
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EDGE Omen drone to have Archer’s powertrain
Dr Alhinai told AGN that the EDGE Omen Autonomous Air Vehicle will have Archer’s propulsion. He said, “It’s a huge vote of confidence for Archer… It’s very exciting for us because it also strengthens our relationship with our UAE partners, as they’re going to be building their manufacturing line in the UAE.”
Archer stated it is to supply its proprietary electric powertrain to third parties, with the first of these being Anduril and EDGE Group for Omen.
Archer announced the development on 17 November, saying it marks the first time the company is making its propulsion technology, used on the Midnight eVTOL aircraft, available for use by third parties. It noted that providing its powertrain to third parties introduces a new revenue stream for the company.
Powering Omen – Anduril’s Autonomous Air Vehicle system
— Archer (@flyarcher) November 17, 2025
We’ve reached an agreement to expand our partnership with @anduriltech beyond our joint hybrid-electric defense aircraft project. Archer will now also supply Anduril and @_edgegroup with our dual use electric powertrain technology to accelerate the development and scaled production of Anduril’s recently unveiled Omen Autonomous Air Vehicle system.
This marks the first time we’ll make our proprietary advanced powertrain technology, in use on our Midnight eVTOL aircraft, available for use by a third party, introducing a new revenue stream to our business.
Omen is Anduril’s hover-to-cruise Autonomous Air Vehicle that will be co-developed and co-produced by Anduril and EDGE Group for the UAE, which has committed to an initial acquisition of 50 Omen systems, creating an established demand signal for the Omen system and Archer’s powertrain technology.
Anduril and EDGE have agreed that Omen UAVs supplied to customers in the Middle East region will be built in the UAE, while any Omens Anduril sells to the US government will be produced at its new Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio.
Archer’s electric powertrain is currently manufactured in the United States.
Archer’s electric powertrain
Archer is investing heavily in developing the ‘best-in-class’ electric powertrain. The company says these are optimised for a range of commercial and defence aviation uses.
Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer, stated, “While most see our Midnight eVTOL as an aircraft, we view Midnight as a platform that plays host to a wide range of new and exciting aerospace technologies that will be leveraged way beyond our own aircraft.”
Goldstein added that the provision of the powertrain to Anduril is expected to be the first of “many examples.” He noted Archer has worked with Andruil to develop a hybrid-electric aircraft for a year, with the company’s respective teams familiarising themselves with each other’s technology.
For its part, Anduril has been working on Omen for over five years. Anduril’s SVP of Engineering said Archer’s powertrain has enabled Omen to achieve the ranges, speeds, and payload capacity needed to make the UAV operationally relevant for a range of dual-use missions.
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From electric flying taxi to defence VTOL aircraft
Archer’s Midnight eVTOL has been developed as a flying taxi, but like other similar companies, it is also developing a hybrid aircraft for defence.
In August 2025, AGN reported Archer acquired a portfolio of patents and engineering talent from Overair, a spin-off of Karem Aircraft, a leader in tiltrotor innovation. This is regarded as a major step towards expanding its role in the US defence sector, paving the way for it to develop hybrid, autonomous military aircraft.
The US military has an urgent requirement for runway-independent aircraft to serve forward positions in a future peer-to-peer war.
Archer is not alone; Beta Technologies, with its new MV250, and Joby Aviation, with its hybrid VTOL aircraft, are also offering the US military autonomous, runway-independent aircraft for contested environments.
