“Lt. Gen. (Ret) Joins Archer Defence’s Advisory Board”
Archer Aviation announced this week that Lieutenant General (Ret) Scott Howell has joined the company’s Advisory Board to help guide the newly created Archer Defence business unit, reports a press release.
The goal is to leverage the company’s expertise in aircraft development, advanced flight controls and scalable manufacturing, to deliver next-generation aircraft for defence applications. The first project, in collaboration with Anduril, is to develop a hybrid-propulsion VTOL aircraft.
Lt. Gen. (Ret) Scott Howell is a highly decorated retired military leader whose time in service spanned Iraq, Afghanistan, the Pentagon and the White House. The release states, “He helped accelerate the military’s organisational transformation while leading 14,000 Special Operations forces globally as the 15th Commander of Joint Special Operations Command.”
It continues, “Previously, as Vice Commander for the U.S Special Operations Command, he helped secure the largest-ever budget for the country’s most elite warfighters. Now in the private sector, Howell will continue his work with General Catalyst as an advisor focused on modern defence and intelligence.”

Adam Goldstein, co-Founder and CEO of Archer, commented, “The launch of Archer Defence marks a significant moment for both the company and the eVTOL industry. With Scott’s support, we’re confident that we can accelerate innovation within military aviation, tipping the scales further in America’s favour.”
Lt. Gen. Howell remarked, “I’m proud to join Archer as they accelerate the development and deployment of advanced technologies for the defence sector. I see incredible potential to continue advancing that mission.”
The Archer Advisory Board already comprises of six retired former army leaders. They include 3‑star Lieutenant General David A. Krumm; 2‑star General Clayton M. Hutmacher; 2‑star General Bill Gayler; and 4‑star General Steve Townsend.
Meanwhile, Archer has now completed construction of its high-volume manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia named ARC and received its certificate of occupancy.
Connected to the Covington Municipal Airport in Georgia, production is planned to begin early this year, with the goal of ramping to a rate of two aircraft per month by the end of 2025.
Brian Kemp, the Georgia Governor, commented, “This announcement marks the next step in the company’s journey and reaffirms Georgia’s commitment to working with innovative companies like Archer to create quality jobs and opportunities for years to come.”

Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia who sits on the House Committee on Transportation and the Infrastructure and Committee on Science, Space, and Technology added, “I am excited to support this transformative chapter in aviation. It will drive progress, deliver economic benefits for Georgia and create opportunity for everyone involved with and around this facility.”
Adam Goldstein remarked, “With construction on ARC now complete, it’s all about execution and scaling. I can’t wait to see our facility begin producing aircraft.”
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(Images: Archer Aviation)
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