Archer Acquires Wisk as Joby Expands Into Defense
Archer Aviation has acquired its former eVTOL rival Wisk Aero in a transaction that gives Boeing a 16.5% stake in Archer. Boeing also agreed to transfer SkyGrid, a digital airspace and air traffic management software company, and drone maker Insitu to Archer. In a separate deal, Joby Aviation acquired radio-frequency and sensor systems company Resonant Sciences for $500 million and will operate it as a dedicated unit named Joby Defense.
The transactions underline two parallel developments in electric vertical takeoff and landing aviation: consolidation among aircraft developers and a search for revenue opportunities while air-taxi programmes move through lengthy certification processes. Both Archer and Joby continue to pursue electric aircraft for urban air-taxi operations, but their latest deals broaden the assets and markets around those core programmes.
Archer and Wisk move from litigation to common ownership
Archer’s acquisition is a notable reversal after a long dispute between the companies. Wisk sued Archer in 2021, alleging the “brazen theft” of confidential information and intellectual property. The litigation continued for two years before the companies reached a settlement that ended both Wisk’s claim and Archer’s countersuit seeking $1 billion in damages. That settlement also created a collaboration between the former rivals.
Wisk’s corporate history has already included several changes. It emerged from the Cora programme of Kitty Hawk, the electric aviation startup led by Sebastian Thrun and backed by Google co-founder Larry Page. Kitty Hawk closed in September 2022, while Cora continued through a joint venture with Boeing that was renamed Wisk Aero.
Through the new arrangement, Archer adds Wisk alongside SkyGrid and Insitu, while Boeing becomes a significant Archer shareholder. The combination brings aircraft development, airspace-management software and drone operations into the same corporate group. It also changes the competitive structure of a sector where companies are still working toward regulatory approval for commercial electric air-taxi services.
Joby creates a dedicated defense unit
Joby’s purchase of Resonant Sciences establishes Joby Defense, focused on the acquired company’s radio-frequency and sensor systems. The $500 million deal follows Joby’s gradual expansion into defense work over the past several years, alongside its original objective of certifying and manufacturing eVTOL aircraft for urban air-taxi use.
The move gives Joby a dedicated defense business rather than limiting its activity to passenger air mobility. It also places the company’s strategy beside wider shifts in autonomous transportation, where Waymo and evolving autonomous vehicle rules illustrates how vehicle deployment, commercial permissions and operating models remain central to turning advanced mobility technology into services.
What the deals mean for buyers and partners
For businesses assessing electric aviation partnerships, the latest transactions show that aircraft programmes should not be evaluated solely as future passenger services. Equity arrangements, defense operations, sensor technology, drone businesses and airspace software can all affect a supplier’s capabilities and commercial priorities. Procurement and partnership teams should therefore examine the full portfolio, certification progress and operating focus of prospective eVTOL partners before making long-term commitments.