Archer Aviation Inc. announced the successful completion of rigorous battery pack drop testing conducted at a National Institute for Aviation Research lab. This marks a significant milestone in the development of the company's proprietary electric propulsion system for its Midnight aircraft in what is seen as one of the most difficult tests to pass for an eVTOL aircraft, putting Archer in a strong position to successfully complete this same test in upcoming for-credit testing with the FAA. Over the course of this week, Archer's engineering and certification teams led Midnight's proprietary battery packs through three 50-foot drop tests simulating extreme impact scenarios.

Tested at varying states of charge, 0%, 30%, and 100%, the battery packs withstanding the impact without any signs of failure and, remarkably, continued to function properly. This test is renowned within the electric aviation industry as one of the most challenging barriers to certification, designed to ensure battery packs can safely endure significant impact. A pivotal factor in the success of these tests is Archer's choice to utilize cylindrical cells within Archer's battery proprietary battery pack design.