Boeing and Archer Aviation announced definitive agreements on August 10 under which Archer will acquire three Boeing subsidiaries: autonomous eVTOL developer Wisk Aero, airspace management software provider SkyGrid, and uncrewed aircraft manufacturer Insitu.
In exchange, Boeing will receive newly issued Archer Class A shares and warrants—giving it nearly 20 percent ownership of Archer’s Class A shares—along with a seat on Archer’s board of directors. Boeing has also agreed to contribute up to $55 million toward an upcoming Archer financing round. Under an ongoing technology-sharing agreement, Boeing will retain cross-licensed access to Wisk’s core autonomous flight systems for application across its commercial and defense platforms.
The acquisition integrates Wisk’s autonomous flight test background, SkyGrid’s traffic management software, and Insitu’s uncrewed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets into Archer’s broader framework. Insitu, which has fielded more than 3,500 uncrewed aircraft systems across 35 countries, generates over $200 million in annual revenue, making it the most immediate revenue-generating asset in the transaction.
Archer executives stated that combining these platforms creates an integrated physical artificial intelligence architecture spanning commercial aerospace, defense, and airspace management, built around its ZEE AI model. The consolidation provides a pathway to scale operations, expand its product portfolio, and grow near-term revenue.
For Boeing, executives noted that the transaction allows the acquired units to accelerate market deployment while preserving Boeing’s access to underlying autonomous technologies. The divestment aligns with Boeing’s strategic focus under CEO Kelly Ortberg to streamline operations and concentrate capital on core commercial aircraft, defense, and space programs rather than early-stage subsidiaries. The deal also follows the resolution of a 2021 trade secrets lawsuit between Wisk and Archer, which was settled three years prior.
