Archer Aviation acquires Wisk Aero from Boeing in equity deal
The transaction resolves a long-standing legal dispute and grants Boeing a 16.5% stake in Archer, marking a strategic pivot for the aerospace giant and a consolidation of capabilities for the California-based startup.
Archer Aviation has acquired Wisk Aero, along with its subsidiaries SkyGrid and Insitu, from Boeing, according to a regulatory filing released on Monday. In exchange for the assets, Boeing will receive newly issued Archer shares representing approximately 16.5 per cent of the company’s outstanding shares post-closing. The deal effectively concludes a legal dispute between the two electric aircraft firms, which had previously settled a trade secret lawsuit in 2023.
The acquisition marks a significant strategic pivot for Boeing, which is offloading its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) assets. Under the terms of the transaction, Boeing will retain access to Wisk’s autonomous flight systems for its core commercial and defence projects. The deal is described as a capstone to the relationship between the two eVTOL companies, allowing Archer to accelerate its technological capabilities while providing Boeing with an equity position in the emerging market.
The relationship between Archer and Wisk has evolved from litigation to collaboration. In April 2021, Wisk sued Archer for alleged theft of confidential information and intellectual property. The legal wrangling lasted two years before the parties reached a settlement in 2023 that ended the lawsuit and Archer’s counter-suit seeking $1 billion in damages. As part of that agreement, Archer agreed to make Wisk the exclusive provider of autonomous flying technology.
Wisk Aero originated from Kittyhawk, an electric aviation startup led by Sebastian Thrun and backed by Google co-founder Larry Page. The Kittyhawk program was spun off into a joint venture with Boeing in 2019, later renamed Wisk. Boeing invested $450 million into the venture in early 2022, and by 2023, Wisk had become a fully owned subsidiary. The acquisition now brings that autonomous technology portfolio under Archer’s control.
Archer, which went public in 2021, has expanded its focus beyond air taxi networks to include defence applications. The company raised a $430 million round in December 2024 for its Archer Defense program and secured a further $300 million in 2025 from institutional investors including BlackRock and Wellington. Archer has also entered an exclusive deal with Anduril to jointly develop a hybrid gas-and-electric-powered VTOL aircraft for defence applications.
The company continues to advance its all-electric Midnight aircraft, recently completing a piloted round-trip flight between Salinas Municipal Airport and Monterey Regional Airport. Archer is preparing to begin operations later this year under the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, positioning itself to capitalise on the regulatory framework for urban air mobility.
