Archer Aviation to acquire three aviation technology units from Boeing

Archer Aviation to acquire three aviation technology units from Boeing

Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR) shares jumped 16% Monday after the company announced a deal to acquire Boeing Co (NYSE:BA, XETRA:BCO) ’s Wisk Aero, SkyGrid and Insitu subsidiaries, expanding its presence across autonomous flight, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems and air traffic management. The companies said they have signed definitive agreements for the transaction, which is expected to combine technologies developed across aerospace autonomy, eVTOL aircraft and unmanned systems. The deal is expected to give Archer an expanded platform spanning commercial aerospace, defense and air traffic management. Wisk has developed autonomous eVTOL aircraft and has conducted more than 1,700 flight tests across six generations of aircraft, while Insitu develops uncrewed aircraft systems used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. SkyGrid provides ground-based air traffic management technology designed to support automated airspace. Together, the three businesses have nearly two million combined flight hours, according to the companies. Archer said their autonomy technologies are expected to contribute to its ZEE artificial intelligence platform. Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein described the transaction as a major step toward expanding the company beyond its existing air taxi business. “This is a watershed moment for Archer and the future of physical AI in aerospace and defense. This is the next big step forward in becoming a diversified platform, rapidly growing our revenue base and bringing scale to our business,” Goldstein said. The transaction will also include a collaboration and technology-sharing ...