Anduril, Archer Aviation unveil hybrid-electric VTOL for defense and commercial use - Fox Business

What the report says

Fox Business reported that Anduril Industries and Archer Aviation announced on Monday that they are jointly developing a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft intended for both defense and commercial markets. The military version, named Thunder, was presented by Anduril at the Farnborough Airshow in England.

According to the companies, the aircraft is a dual-use platform that combines electric propulsion technology from the commercial eVTOL sector with capabilities aimed at military and civilian operators, including speed, range, payload capacity and lower operating costs. Fox Business reported that Thunder uses a hybrid-electric powertrain designed to extend range and endurance, along with dual tiltrotors meant to improve efficiency during different phases of flight. The platform is also being configured to carry modular heavy payloads.

The companies said Thunder builds on Archer’s work developing and flying air taxi aircraft, but Archer CEO Adam Goldstein said the new platform required a ground-up design rather than modifications to an existing aircraft. Anduril executive Shane Arnott described the project as an effort to adapt commercial eVTOL technologies for defense uses. The first flight of Thunder is planned for 2027, and the companies said they have already conducted multiple test flights using full-scale surrogate aircraft to evaluate supporting systems.

The announcement comes as drone and advanced aviation technologies are drawing growing interest from defense agencies and investors. Fox Business also reported that Archer is expected to identify commercial partners for the civilian version of the VTOL aircraft.