08:46 AM EDT, 06/12/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Archer Aviation ( ACHR ) said Wednesday that its Midnight electric aircraft completed a transition from vertical lift-off to a horizontal flying speed of over 100 miles per hour during a June 8 test flight.

The transition from vertical to horizontal flight is considered one of the most difficult engineering challenges for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Archer said that at around 6,500 pounds, Midnight is among the largest aircraft to achieve the milestone, which it described as "critical to being able to carry commercially viable passenger payloads."

Archer's Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger electric-powered aircraft.

Shares of the company were up 4% in Wednesday's premarket activity.

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