Archer accelerates defense program with two strategic acquisitions as it pursues growing demand

Archer today announced two strategic acquisitions to accelerate the development of its next-generation defense aircraft.

These acquisitions build on Archer’s December 2024 announcement of a strategic partnership with Anduril to co-develop hybrid, autonomous VTOL military aircraft—followed by $1.3B in capital raised to pursue both defense and commercial opportunities.

Since that announcement, Archer continues to see growing demand from major allied defense programs worldwide.

To help meet that demand, Archer acquired a patent portfolio and hired critical employees from Overair, a spin-off of Karem Aircraft. Karem Aircraft developed and manufactured advanced fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft focused on the use of high-efficiency tiltrotors.

Archer also acquired key composite manufacturing assets and an approximately ~60,000 square foot manufacturing facility from Mission Critical Composites, a specialized defense composite manufacturer in Southern California. These assets allow Archer to bring core composite fabrication capabilities in-house, supporting its defense program needs for rapid prototyping and iteration.

Both acquisitions come on the heels of strong industry momentum with the recent announcement of a budget request allocation by the Pentagon of $13.4B for autonomous military systems.

Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer said, “The Administration has made it clear: Leading in advanced aviation in both commercial and defense is a national priority. These acquisitions are part of our commitment—we’re working to accelerate our product development to meet our country’s needs.”