LAS VEGAS—Air taxi developer Archer Aviation announced Oct. 15 that it has won a competitive bid process to acquire the patents of insolvent electric aircraft manufacturer Lilium for $21 million (€18 million).
Archer, based in San Jose, California, said Lilium’s portfolio includes 300 patents relating to high-voltage systems, battery management, advanced aircraft design, flight controls, electric engines, propellers, and ducted fans. Over its decade of operations, Lilium had spent more than $1.5 billion to develop the key enabling technologies of its Lilium Jet, a planned seven-seat, vectored-thrust electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The patent purchase is Archer’s second such transaction in the past two months. In August, Archer acquired the patent portfolio and hired key employees of rival eVTOL developer Overair, a spin-off of Karem Aircraft. That acquisition followed a strategic partnership Archer announced with Anduril Industries in December 2024 to develop a hybrid VTOL aircraft for military applications.
Archer is displaying a mockup of its four-passenger Midnight air taxi for the first time at the NBAA Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition, being held this week at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The company is currently flight-testing a first full-scale pre-production model of the aircraft.
Lilium, based in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, ran into financial troubles in 2024 after German federal and state governments refused to provide loan guarantees and investors declined to inject more money into the company. Lilium filed for insolvency last October but appeared to have been rescued by a group of investors that created a new firm, Lilium Aerospace. The new company also folded after the promised funds did not materialize.
Archer, Joby Aviation, and former Lilium Jet customer Advanced Air Mobility Group were understood to have placed competing bids for Lilium with the insolvency administrator. According to industry sources who spoke with Aviation Week, Archer was mainly interested in Lilium’s patents and intellectual property, while Joby was interested in resurrecting the Lilium Jet.
Lilium assets included unfinished prototypes stored in hangars in Oberpfaffenhofen.
