Archer Aviation Inc. is to locate its manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia at a site adjacent to the Covington Municipal Airport. It plans to build a 350,000 square foot facility on a 96 acre site capable of producing up to 650 aircraft per year.

The planned eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility is expected to create over 1,000 jobs over the long term. Construction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024 with initial production expected to begin in the second half of 2024. The facility will be capable of being expanded by an additional 550,000 square feet, which is estimated to support production of up to 2,300 aircraft per year.

In selecting the location for its first manufacturing facility, Archer completed a comprehensive survey of potential sites across the United States. Key considerations included the availability of talent in the local labor market, utility availability, ability to conduct seamless flight test operations, construction costs, and logistics. Archer will receive an incentive package, which includes land conveyance, tax incentives and Georgia REBA grant. As Archer looks to build its local community-focused relationships in Georgia, it anticipates that financing for the project will be provided by Synovus, the largest bank headquartered in the state.

“After many months of discussion and evaluation, we're excited to select Georgia as the location for our manufacturing facility,” says Adam Goldstein, Archer's CEO. “The U.S. has long led the world in aerospace technology, and Georgia has played a vital role in that industry. Our eVTOL technology can transform how urban and rural communities live and commute and this factory can create pathways to highly skilled manufacturing jobs and other ladders of social and economic opportunity. I am grateful to Governor Kemp along with Bob Kosek, Sara Gershon, Serra Hall, Frank Turner, and their teams, as well as all my colleagues at Archer as we work together to pioneer these innovative aviation technologies.”

Commenting on the decision to locate the facility in Georgia, Governor Brian P. Kemp comments, “Georgia has made nurturing innovation a priority as we work with businesses to define the future. Our established leadership in the aerospace industry was essential to landing Archer Aviation in Newton County. We are thrilled to welcome Archer to the state of Georgia, where they can take advantage of our signature workforce training program Quick Start to help fill, in the long-term, over 1,000 jobs in Covington.”

Meanwhile, Archer has selected Garmin to supply the G3000 integrated flight deck for Midnight.

The compact and lightweight system offers both an extensive certification pedigree and the configurability needed for Archer to bring its aircraft to market. The large format displays and intuitive controls will provide pilots with the situational awareness needed to operate Midnight. The extensive reach of Garmin avionics will make the Midnight aircraft familiar to a large swath of pilots.

Part of Archer's commercialization strategy is to focus its in-house development on only the key enabling technologies that cannot be sourced from the existing aerospace supply base. The Garmin relationship further advances Archer's approach of establishing strategic relationships for supply of components already being used on certified aircraft today. Archer now has more than 64% of our suppliers for Midnight's bill-of-materials selected.

“By aligning Archer's product sourcing needs with the experience and capabilities of well-established leaders in the aviation industry, we can help reduce our certification risk, as well as development timelines and costs,” says Goldstein. “We're excited to be adding Garmin to our growing base of world-class suppliers as we pave the way towards commercialization.”

“We are proud of this strategic relationship with Archer Aviation to provide the advanced Garmin G3000 integrated flight deck for their new Midnight aircraft,” adds Phil Straub, Garmin Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Aviation. “It is an honor to be selected and trusted by Archer and we are confident the G3000 will help them to provide advanced and efficient air taxi services for years to come.”