Archer Aviation, a San Jose-based air taxi startup, has unveiled Thunder, a hybrid vertical takeoff and landing aircraft co-developed with Palmer Luckey's defence firm Anduril, designed for both military and commercial use. The reveal, made at the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, marks a significant pivot for electric aviation firms, which are increasingly looking to defence contracts to offset heavy losses while awaiting the regulatory approvals needed to launch passenger services.

Thunder resembles a cross between Archer's Midnight air taxi and larger military aircraft such as the V-22 Osprey, but uses a series hybrid powertrain rather than a fully electric one, giving it greater range for military strikes, cargo transport and logistics in remote areas. It is intended as a fully autonomous attack rotorcraft flying alongside crewed military aircraft, with a commercial variant due to be unveiled later this week. The partnership builds on an existing deal in which Archer licenses its eVTOL technology to Anduril's Omen drone programme; Archer has also supplied a Midnight aircraft to the US Air Force for evaluation, as the company reported a $217.7 million first-quarter loss against just $1.6 million in revenue.