Archer Aviation has entered into definitive agreements with The Boeing Company to acquire its Wisk Aero, SkyGrid, and Insitu subsidiaries in a strategic transaction designed to establish an end-to-end physical artificial intelligence platform for commercial aerospace and defense applications.
The deal unites complementary capabilities across autonomous flight, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The acquired entities bring nearly two million combined flight hours of operational experience to bolster Archer’s ZEE artificial intelligence platform. Among the key assets, Wisk contributes 16 years of development in autonomous eVTOL aircraft across six generations and over 1,700 flight tests, featuring proprietary flight-control computers, sensor suites, and radar systems engineered for civil and defense certification.
Complementing these flight systems, Insitu provides a mature product portfolio of high-performance uncrewed aircraft systems used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, having manufactured and fielded more than 3,500 UAS for armed forces across 35 nations. On the digital infrastructure side, SkyGrid adds a ground-based, aircraft-agnostic air traffic management system aimed at providing the safe integration, scalable automation, and coordinated traffic management required for automated airspace operation.
Highlighting the significance of the transaction, Archer Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said, “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.”
As part of the agreement, Boeing will invest in Archer and execute a collaboration and technology-sharing arrangement, enabling Boeing to maintain access to Wisk’s core autonomous flight technology for its current and next-generation commercial and defense aircraft while preserving strategic upside through its stake in Archer.
“This transaction is a win-win for Boeing and Archer,” said Brian Yutko, Boeing vice president, Commercial Airplanes Product Development. “It allows Wisk, SkyGrid and Insitu to accelerate capability development and time to market while ensuring Boeing capitalizes on its investments in these technologies over the past two decades through continued development in our core businesses. Having worked with the incredible teams in these companies firsthand, it’s clear this transaction will create an industry leader in the advanced aviation market. We look forward to collaborating with Archer to drive continued innovation in aerospace, defense and autonomy.”
Expected to close by the end of 2026, the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Additional financial details of the transaction are available in Archer’s Form 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, with Moelis & Company LLC acting as financial advisor to Archer and Fenwick & West LLP serving as outside counsel, while J.P. Morgan Securities LLC serves as financial advisor to Boeing with Mayer Brown LLP as outside counsel.
