Vertical Aerospace 诉 Archer Aviation 专利侵权

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 6-K

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13A-16 OR 15D-16

UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the month of October 2026

Commission File Number: 001-41169

Vertical Aerospace Ltd.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Unit 1 Camwal Court, Chapel Street

Bristol BS2 0UW

United Kingdom

(Address of principal executive office)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F  x            Form 40-F  ¨

INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ON FORM 6-K

On October 6, 2026, Vertical Aerospace Group Ltd. (“VAGL”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (the “Company”), filed a patent infringement counterclaim against Archer Aviation Inc. (“Archer Aviation”) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleging that Archer Aviation’s electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) Midnight aircraft infringes one or more claims of VAGL’s U.S. Patent No. 12,747,027 (the “Counterclaim”). VAGL filed the Counterclaim in the lawsuit that Archer Aviation brought against the Company and VAGL on February 23, 2026 (Archer Aviation Inc. v. Vertical Aerospace Ltd. & Vertical Aerospace Group Ltd., Civil Action No. 2:26-cv-00149-JRG).

In its Counterclaim, VAGL seeks, among other things, injunctive relief to prevent further infringement as well as monetary damages.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K (the “Form 6-K”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any express or implied statements contained in this Form 6-K that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the successful outcome of the Counterclaim, the design and manufacture of our aircraft and the hybrid-electric variant, certification and the commercialization of our aircraft and our ability to achieve regulatory certification of our aircraft product on any particular timeline or at all, the features and capabilities of the aircraft, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, selection of suppliers, as well as statements that include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “may,” “should,” “anticipate,” “will,” “aim,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are not a guarantee of future performance. Actual outcomes may differ materially from the information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, without limitation, the important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 24, 2026, as such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company’s other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this Form 6-K speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this Form 6-K, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The information included in this Report on Form 6-K is hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-270756, File No. 333-284763, File No. 333-287207, File No. 333-292448, File No. 333-295988, File No. 333-297060 and File No. 333-298605) (including any prospectuses forming a part of such registration statements) and to be a part thereof from the date on which this Report on Form 6-K is filed, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.