The Boeing Company and Archer Aviation have signed definitive agreements in which Archer will acquire Boeing's Wisk Aero, SkyGrid and Insitu subsidiaries. The deal will combine complementary capabilities developed over decades in autonomy, eVTOL aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), creating an end-to-end physical AI platform for aerospace and defence.

These companies, with nearly two million combined flight hours, are expected to bring a deep autonomy foundation to Archer's ZEE artificial intelligence platform. This positions Archer to deliver an end-to-end physical AI platform across commercial aerospace, defence and air traffic management that can lead the next generation of aviation.

Archer's founder and CEO, Adam Goldstein says: “This is a watershed moment for Archer and the future of physical AI in aerospace and defence. This is the next big step forward in becoming a diversified platform, rapidly growing our revenue base and bringing scale to our business.”

In conjunction with the transaction, Boeing and Archer are entering into a collaboration and technology-sharing arrangement through which Boeing will retain access to the Wisk core autonomous flight technology for its current and next-generation commercial and defence aircraft. The transaction allows Boeing to retain strategic upside through its stake in Archer and simultaneously focus current and future investments into Boeing's core businesses.

“This transaction is a win-win for Boeing and Archer,” enthuses 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 capitalises 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, defence and autonomy.”

Wisk is the only company that has designed, built and flown six generations of eVTOL aircraft, amassing more than 1,700 flight tests. Over the past 16 years, Wisk's world-class team has developed unmatched autonomy capabilities powered by a next-gen flight-control computer, sensor suite and radar system designed for certification in both civil and potential defence markets.

SkyGrid has built a leading ground-based, aircraft-agnostic air traffic management solution that establishes the digital foundation for the future of automated airspace. SkyGrid enables safe integration, scalable automation and coordinated traffic management that is necessary for commercialisation across the aviation ecosystem.

Insitu is a pioneer in designing, developing and manufacturing uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) used in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Its product portfolio spans high-performance, cost-effective, resilient, VTOL-capable UAS and AI-enabled software solutions. Insitu's technologies have helped the armed forces of 35 nations make quicker, more informed decisions to bring warfighters home safely. With offices in the US, Australia, the UK and the UAE, Insitu has manufactured and fielded more than 3,500 UAS and provides operations and support networks in every hemisphere of the globe.