Archer expands aerospace and defense footprint through Boeing asset acquisition

Archer Aviation has agreed to acquire Boeing’s Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid subsidiaries, combining autonomous flight, unmanned systems and airspace management capabilities with Archer’s AI platform. The transaction broadens Archer’s defense exposure, while Boeing will retain technology access and take a strategic stake in the expanded company.

Archer Aviation has signed definitive agreements to acquire Boeing’s Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid businesses in a transaction designed to consolidate autonomous aviation, unmanned aircraft and digital airspace capabilities under one platform. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to customary conditions, including the expiry or termination of the applicable US antitrust review period.

The transaction materially changes Archer’s business profile by adding Insitu’s established defense operations alongside Wisk’s autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft expertise and SkyGrid’s airspace-management software. Insitu generates more than USD 200 million in annual revenue based on its current financials and estimates, with operations spanning 35 countries. It has produced and deployed more than 3,500 unmanned aircraft and supports intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for military customers.

For the aerospace and defense sector, the combination links technologies that are increasingly important to autonomous operations. Wisk contributes autonomous flight systems and extensive flight-testing experience, while SkyGrid provides digital infrastructure for coordinating increasingly automated airspace. Insitu adds established unmanned aircraft platforms and AI-enabled software used across defense markets. Archer plans to integrate these capabilities with ZEE, its purpose-built AI foundation model for aerospace and defense.

The transaction also creates a different capital and partnership structure for Boeing. Rather than retaining the three businesses within its portfolio, Boeing will take a stake in Archer and establish a technology-sharing relationship that preserves access to Wisk’s core autonomous flight technology for current and future commercial and defense aircraft. This allows Boeing to maintain exposure to emerging autonomy technologies while concentrating capital on its principal aerospace businesses.

Archer, which develops aircraft and enabling technologies for aerospace and defense applications, gains an established defense business and a broader international operating base through the acquisition. Boeing is a major global aerospace manufacturer serving commercial aviation, defense and space customers in more than 150 countries. For investors and industry suppliers, the deal signals continued consolidation around autonomous aviation, AI-enabled aircraft systems and unmanned defense platforms, while its ultimate value will depend on regulatory clearance, integration execution and Archer’s ability to convert the combined technology portfolio into scalable commercial and defense programs.