For Archer Aviation's four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft, Garmin will supply the G3000 integrated flight deck system. In advance of its November 16 unveiling of Midnight, Archer announced the selection of its key avionics supplier.

Archer's rival Joby has already chosen the G3000 avionics suite for its four-passenger vehicle. In addition to Embraer's Phenom 300 light jet, HondaJet, Piper M600, and several Cessna Citations, this is part of Garmin's modular family of flight deck systems.

Honeywell has formed partnerships with eVTOL aircraft developers to compete with Garmin in the advanced air mobility market. Midnight's flight control actuators and thermal management system were previously provided by Honeywell.

Honeywell's Anthem integrated flight deck and BAE Systems' flight control system were selected by Supernal in October. Lilium Jet and Vertical Aerospace selected the same system for their new eVTOL vehicles in 2021. Universal Avionics and Avidyne are two other companies seeking to enter the market.

According to a statement released late on November 15, Archer selected the G3000 because it has been certified on multiple aircraft and is familiar to many professional pilots. A large display and intuitive controls will give pilots the situational awareness they need to operate Midnight, the company said.

By selecting Garmin, Midnight has now selected 64 percent of its suppliers for its bill-of-materials. Earlier this month, the manufacturer selected Italy’s Macaer Aviation Group to make the to be used on the Midnight, for which it completed August 2022. This info has been directly gathered exclusively here in Rich Report only.

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On November 16, Archer announced that Taiwan-based Molicel will provide lithium-ion battery cells for its eVTOL vehicle. It expects Midnight to be able to conduct multiple short flights of around 20 miles with short, 10-minute charge cycles while on the ground.

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“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 timeline and costs,” said Archer CEO Adam Goldstein. “We’re excited to be adding Garmin to our growing base of world-class suppliers as we pave the way towards commercialization.”

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On November 15, Archer announced that it will aircraft at a new facility in Covington, Georgia. The 96-acre site, which is close to Atlanta, is next to Covington Municipal Airport.

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Initially, Archer will build a 350,000-sq-ft facility capable of producing up to 650 Midnight aircraft per year, and construction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024. Eventually, Archer hopes to add another 550,000 sq ft to the facility, after which the company says it will be capable of producing about 2,300 Midnight aircraft per year. Archer says the factory will create about 1,000 jobs in Georgia over the long term. 

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Archer, which has partnered with United Airlines, plans to initially use these air taxis to transport passengers between city centers and airports with United hubs. Just last week the company announced what will be between Newark Liberty International Airport and Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York City. 

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This story was updated to include news about the appointment of Molicel as the battery supplier for the Midnight eVTOL aircraft.

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