Archer Aviation today announced plans for a new UK engineering hub in South West England. The company, through its newly established UK subsidiary, intends to build and grow a team in the country to support its work in the region, said the company in a press release.
“Last week’s announcement from Anduril UK and GKN Aerospace highlighted the companies’ joint work in support of the British Army’s Project NYX and the Ministry of Defence’s Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform programme but will also involve exploration of other opportunities at GKN Aerospace’s Isle of Wight airframe production facility,” said Archer. GKN Aerospace will be working alongside Archer and Anduril, with Archer contributing its latest advancements in eVTOL aircraft development and hybrid propulsion to meet the British Army’s operational requirements.
“Today, Archer announced that one of the top British eVTOL engineering leaders, Dr. Limhi Somerville, will be joining Archer in early 2026,” according to Archer. “Somerville joins Archer from Vertical Aerospace, where he spent the last six years and most recently led the company’s engineering program. Prior to joining Vertical Aerospace, Somerville held engineering and research roles at Jaguar Land Rover and the University of Warwick. “
Dr. Limhi Somerville said, “Archer is pairing realistic innovation with the capital, manufacturing capabilities, and strategic partnerships required to actually deliver next-generation aerospace and defence technologies at scale. The opportunity to support the development of their dual-use vertical lift platform is compelling. I’m excited to get to work.”
“The UK has the talent and industrial base to be a major player in driving the next era of advanced aerospace and defence. Archer’s plans to open a UK engineering hub underscores our commitment to being an integral part of the next-generation of aerospace and defence in the country,” said Adam Goldstein, Archer’s founder and CEO. “Bringing a leader of Limhi’s caliber onto the team is critical as we look to continue to accelerate the development of our hybrid-propulsion, dual-use aircraft.”
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