Archer Aviation Joins White House eVTOL Pilot Program for Urban Air Mobility Trials

Archer Aviation has been selected to participate in the White House’s new electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) pilot program aimed at accelerating the deployment of air taxi services in the United States. The initiative brings together key federal agencies, commercial airlines, urban municipalities, and advanced air mobility (AAM) developers to address regulatory, infrastructure, and operational challenges surrounding urban air mobility (UAM).

White House Launches Cross-Sector eVTOL Initiative

On March 21, 2024, the Biden Administration announced a multi-agency pilot program under its Advanced Air Mobility Interagency Working Group. The initiative is designed to foster early adoption of eVTOL technologies by coordinating efforts across the Department of Transportation (DoT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and industry stakeholders. The goal is to conduct real-world trials of passenger-carrying electric aircraft in select U.S. cities by 2025.

The program aims to fast-track operational integration of eVTOL platforms into national airspace while also addressing vertiport infrastructure needs, public safety protocols, community engagement strategies, and command-and-control (C2) frameworks. Participating cities include New York City; Chicago; San Francisco; Los Angeles; and Dallas-Fort Worth—each representing dense urban environments with high potential for UAM deployment.

Archer’s Role in the Pilot Program

California-based Archer Aviation was named as one of several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) participating in the pilot effort. Archer’s flagship aircraft—dubbed “Midnight”—is a piloted four-passenger eVTOL designed for short-range urban flights up to ~160 km with cruise speeds around 240 km/h. The Midnight platform is undergoing FAA certification testing with plans for initial commercial operations as early as 2025.

As part of the pilot program, Archer will collaborate with key partners such as United Airlines and city governments to simulate real-world air taxi operations. This includes:

Demonstration flights between airports and downtown hubs
Integration testing with existing ATC systems
Vertiport logistics and passenger flow modeling
Noise footprint analysis in urban corridors

The company has already secured partnerships with United Airlines for planned routes between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and downtown Chicago via vertiports under development by Ferrovial Vertiports.

Civil-Military Dual-Use Potential Under AFWERX Agility Prime

In parallel with its civil aviation ambitions, Archer is also engaged with the U.S. Air Force through AFWERX’s Agility Prime program—a defense innovation initiative exploring dual-use applications for AAM technologies. In July 2023, Archer received a $142 million contract from the DoD covering aircraft delivery and flight testing support at military installations.

This positions Archer’s Midnight platform as a candidate for logistics support missions such as base-to-base transport or casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) in contested environments where vertical lift capability is critical but rotorcraft may be too large or noisy. The modular nature of Midnight’s design allows for rapid reconfiguration between passenger transport and light cargo missions.

Regulatory Hurdles Remain Despite Momentum

While participation in this White House-backed pilot marks a milestone for Archer—and the broader AAM ecosystem—significant regulatory challenges remain before full-scale deployment can occur:

FAA Certification: Midnight must complete FAA Part 23-type certification under Special Class rules tailored for powered-lift aircraft.
Pilot Training Standards: New licensing structures may be required given hybrid flight characteristics between rotorcraft and fixed-wing platforms.
C2 Integration: Seamless communication between autonomous or semi-autonomous aircraft and traditional ATC remains an open issue.
No-fly Zones & Security: Urban flight paths must be deconflicted from sensitive sites including military bases or critical infrastructure nodes.

The White House pilot program aims to address these issues through iterative testing cycles involving both simulated environments and live trials within controlled corridors beginning late 2024 or early 2025.

A Strategic Step Toward Scalable Urban Air Mobility

The inclusion of OEMs like Archer—and major carriers such as United Airlines—in this federal initiative reflects growing confidence that commercial eVTOL operations are approaching technical maturity. However, scalability will depend on resolving not just technical hurdles but also public acceptance concerns over noise pollution, safety perceptions, pricing models, and equitable access across socioeconomic groups.

If successful, this pilot could serve as a blueprint for global UAM rollouts—with implications not only for civilian transport but also homeland security response frameworks where rapid aerial mobility offers distinct advantages over ground-based assets.