Aerospace Testing Intnl
• Ben Sampson
Archer Aviation says its Midnight prototype has completed piloted flights around San Francisco Bay, closing the Northern California phase of its “No Roads” demonstration tour. The aircraft is heading to Los Angeles for further demonstrations and operations tied to the 2028 Olympic Games, including the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.
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Archer Aviation says its Midnight prototype has completed piloted flights around San Francisco Bay, closing the Northern California phase of its “No Roads” demonstration tour. The aircraft is heading to Los Angeles for further demonstrations and operations tied to the 2028 Olympic Games, including the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.
An overheating test pack sparked a fire at Archer Aviation’s San Jose laboratory, injuring three people and prompting the evacuation of about 100, according to the article. The incident puts battery testing and facility safety in focus as the eVTOL developer advances its aircraft program.
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A Florida federal jury awarded instrumentation and air data systems developer Aerosonic $116.8 million after finding that eVTOL manufacturer Joby Aviation breached a confidentiality agreement covering air data probes. The verdict centers on a supplier dispute involving technology used in aircraft air data systems.
Vertical Aerospace has filed a patent infringement counterclaim against Archer Aviation in Texas, alleging that Archer infringed a patent covering thermal management for its propulsion system. The move escalates an ongoing legal dispute between the UK-headquartered air taxi developer and its US rival.
A US court has allowed Joby Aviation’s lawsuit against rival Archer Aviation to proceed. The decision is a procedural step, not a finding on the lawsuit’s merits; the available report does not specify the claims or the court’s reasoning.
Archer Aviation said a U.S. District Court ruling narrowed Joby Aviation’s litigation against the eVTOL developer, dismissing certain trade-secret and contract-related claims. The court also dismissed Archer’s counterclaims, leaving the companies to continue competing while the remaining elements of the dispute proceed.
A US federal judge dismissed Archer Aviation’s claims that rival Joby Aviation harmed the company by allegedly misleading the government about ties to China and the Chinese Communist Party. The judge allowed several of Archer’s trade-secret-theft claims against Joby to proceed.
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Texas has begun flights under the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, with Joby Aviation participating in a weeklong demonstration. Separately, Archer Aviation and BETA Technologies plan interoperable charging infrastructure to support air taxi operations, linking vehicle deployments with the ground systems required for scale.
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