Archer Announces Third “Launch Edition” Partner, Striking Deal to Deploy Midnight Aircraft in Indonesia

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) announced today that it has signed an agreement with PT. IKN covering plans to deploy an initial fleet of Midnight aircraft in Indonesia, making it the third country in which Archer is planning to deploy Midnight under its “Launch Edition” program.

PT. IKN is an Indonesian company dedicated to advancing national resilience through innovation in strategic industries, including advanced manufacturing, infrastructure and sustainable technologies through partnerships with government and industry to strengthen local capabilities and support long-term national development.

As with Archer’s other Launch Edition partners, the goal of this program is to establish a pragmatic and repeatable commercialization playbook to deploy Midnight in early adopter markets in advance of type certification in the U.S. In addition to Indonesia, Archer has already announced planned Launch Edition program deployments in the UAE, with Abu Dhabi Aviation, and Ethiopia, with Ethiopian Airlines.

The program aims to establish local operational capabilities and launch commercial air taxi services in the country as soon as possible. In addition to air taxi services, the parties intend to explore a range of complementary use cases such as logistics and environmental surveillance, including in support of the development of Indonesia’s new capital city, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN).

The scope of Archer’s planned Launch Edition program with PT. IKN includes the deployment of an initial fleet of Midnight Launch Edition aircraft to Indonesia with a supporting team of Archer pilots, technicians and engineers. Archer also plans to provide backend operational software and front-end booking applications to help power operations during the program.

The partners intend to collaborate closely with the DGCA to help build necessary regulatory frameworks and improve existing infrastructure to enable the Launch Edition program and subsequent safe entry into service. The Launch Edition deployment comes with plans for an aircraft order by PT. IKN of up to 50 Midnight aircraft, valued at up to $250M², with the goal of commercializing and scaling the Indonesian market after establishing early operations.

Yudiansah Yosal, PT. IKN’s Chairman said, “At PT. IKN we see enormous benefit in bringing new technologies to Indonesia. Our goal is to deploy Archer’s Midnight aircraft not only for passenger mobility throughout our many islands but also for environmental oversight use cases. We’re excited to bring this innovation to Indonesia and to work together with Archer to build a sustainable and scalable air mobility ecosystem.”

Major General TNI Piek Budyakto Pangdam IX / Udayana said, “eVTOL aircraft like Archer’s Midnight offer capabilities for both civilian and military use cases. In the civilian sector, these aircraft can potentially be used for transportation, rescue and various other purposes such as delivery of goods and air taxi transport. On the military side, they can potentially be used for medical evacuation, delivery of supplies and special operations in difficult to reach areas. The partnership between Archer and PT. IKN is in line with our vision to work towards a more adaptive and modern military infrastructure that embraces innovative technologies.”

Archer Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said, “The level of demand for our ‘Launch Edition’ program continues to grow. Indonesia represents a tremendous opportunity for our Midnight aircraft both in the near and long-term, with thousands of islands, a booming tourism sector and the development of a new capital city, Ibu Kota Nusantara. We look forward to working together to demonstrate how Midnight can support missions in the country.”

About Archer

Archer is designing and developing the key enabling technologies and aircraft necessary to power the future of aviation. To learn more, visit www.archer.com.

About PT. Industri Ketahanan Nasional

PT. Industri Ketahanan Nasional is a strategic enterprise committed to strengthening Indonesia’s resilience through innovation in advanced manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, and critical technologies. As a trusted partner of both government and private sector entities, they focus on developing and delivering high-impact locally driven solutions that enhance Indonesia’s long-term economic, security and industrial self sufficiency.

Source: Archer Aviation
Text: ArcherIR

Archer Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward looking statements regarding Archer’s business plans and expectations, including statements regarding Archer’s aircraft performance, the pace at which Archer intends to develop, certify, manufacture and commercialize its aircraft, the expected benefits, amount and timing of anticipated revenue and scalability of the “Launch Edition” program and associated deployment of aircraft, anticipated use cases for Archer’s aircraft, potential value of its aircraft order with PT. IKN, business opportunities, planned infrastructure and operations in the customer’s geographic regions, ability to attract customers, and international expansion. In addition, this press release refers to an agreement for the Launch Edition program that is conditioned on the future execution by the parties of additional binding definitive agreements incorporating the terms outlined in this agreement, which definitive agreements may not be completed or may contain different terms than those set forth in this agreement. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors. The risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed in Archer’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is or will be available at www.sec.gov. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that Archer believes to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. Archer undertakes no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.