Archer Aviation Acquires Boeing's eVTOL Subsidiaries, Secures Boeing Investment

BA has agreed to sell three of its advanced-air-mobility businesses to ACHR in an all-stock deal, handing the electric aircraft developer Wisk Aero, SkyGrid and Insitu in exchange for a substantial equity position in the buyer [doc2, doc5]. Boeing receives newly issued Archer Class A shares plus warrants that take it to roughly 19.75% to 20% of the company, along with the right to nominate a board member, and it has separately committed up to $55 million to an upcoming Archer funding round. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to antitrust review.

The most consequential piece is the one the headline understates. Wisk brings autonomous flight software and SkyGrid brings urban air-traffic management, both long-dated bets, but Insitu is an operating defense drone business generating more than $200 million in annual revenue. For a company whose first-quarter 2026 print was $1.6 million of revenue against a $217.7 million net loss, acquiring a real revenue line changes the story from pure pre-commercial aviation to a defense-and-autonomy platform with cash coming in the door. Boeing retains cross-licensing rights to Wisk's autonomous systems for its own commercial and defense programs, so this is a technology partnership as much as a divestiture.

Investors read it as validation: ACHR rose roughly 18% to 24% intraday, its strongest single session since May 2025 . The caution is that dilution is the currency here, and the standing analyst forecast for Archer still points to roughly $10 million of 2026 revenue against a net loss near $994 million, a figure that predates and is unaffected by this deal. What to watch: antitrust clearance timing, whether Insitu's defense contracts transfer intact, how much of Boeing's 20% stake is subject to lockup, and whether certification milestones for Archer's Midnight aircraft slip while management integrates three businesses at once.

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