Archer to Acquire Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid from Boeing; Boeing to Take Stake

Archer Aviation said Monday it will acquire three Boeing subsidiaries — Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid — in a deal that would give the electric air taxi maker autonomous flight technology, a defense drone business and airspace-management software, while Boeing takes an equity stake in Archer and remains tied to the technology through a collaboration agreement.

The companies announced the transaction Aug. 10 from Arlington, Virginia, and Silicon Valley, California. Under definitive agreements, Archer Aviation Inc. and Boeing said Boeing will become a strategic partner to Archer and retain access to Wisk’s core autonomous flight technology through the collaboration.

The deal is significant because it would broaden Archer beyond its core air taxi business with assets that are already established in autonomy, defense and aviation software. Boeing said the transaction adds a “profitable defense business generating over $200M in annual revenue” through Insitu, a drone and unmanned aircraft systems business. Wisk develops autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, while SkyGrid provides ground-based air traffic management software for advanced aviation.

Financial terms were not disclosed in Boeing’s press release, including the purchase price and the size of Boeing’s equity stake in Archer. Boeing said additional details were available in Archer’s Form 8-K filed Monday.

The companies said the combination would create an “end-to-end physical AI platform for aerospace and defense,” combining Archer’s ZEE AI foundation model with technology from Wisk, SkyGrid and Insitu. Boeing separately said the three businesses together bring nearly 2 million combined flight hours.

Boeing described Insitu as operating in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, and said it has manufactured and fielded more than 3,500 unmanned aircraft systems. Boeing also said Wisk has designed, built and flown six generations of eVTOL aircraft and completed more than 1,700 flight tests.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, the U.S. antitrust law that requires certain deals to be reviewed before they close. The companies said they expect the deal to close by the end of 2026.

The announcement builds on an earlier reset among Archer, Wisk and Boeing. In August 2023, the three said they had settled earlier litigation and entered into a collaboration that included a Boeing investment in Archer and made Wisk Archer’s exclusive autonomy provider for future variants. That history helps explain why companies that had been in a legal fight are now folding the businesses together.

It also fits Archer’s broader move beyond passenger air taxis. In July 2026, Archer unveiled Halo, its commercial variant of a dual-use autonomous VTOL platform developed with defense technology company Anduril, signaling a wider push into defense and autonomy. Adding Insitu and SkyGrid would deepen that shift by bringing in a fielded defense drone operation and software for managing aircraft movements on the ground and in the air.

Adam Goldstein, Archer’s founder and CEO, called the deal “a watershed moment for Archer and the future of physical AI in aerospace and defense,” adding that it would help the company diversify and expand its revenue base.