Archer to buy Boeing's Wisk in equity deal to reshape eVTOL market

Archer Aviation said it will acquire Boeing’s Wisk Aero, SkyGrid and Insitu subsidiaries in exchange for a strategic equity stake that some accounts put at 19.75%, a deal that could redraw the electric vertical takeoff and landing market. The transaction folds Boeing’s electric aircraft program into Archer rather than leaving it as a standalone rival, while giving Boeing direct ownership in Archer’s progress.

The companies signed definitive agreements on Aug. 10, 2026. Boeing said Archer would take Wisk Aero, SkyGrid and Insitu, and that the two sides would continue collaborating after the closing. Boeing framed the move as part of helping Archer shape the “Physical AI Future of Aerospace and Defense,” a signal that the plan reaches beyond a simple asset sale.

Wisk Aero has been developing an autonomous electric aircraft designed to carry passengers. SkyGrid is an airspace technology company, and Insitu is Boeing’s drone business. Bringing those operations under Archer could give the company more than aircraft design alone: technology, intellectual property, engineering depth and development capabilities at a time when eVTOL makers are still confronting certification hurdles, battery limits, flight safety concerns and the infrastructure needed to support commercial service.

The equity structure matters as much as the asset sale. Instead of walking away from the sector, Boeing is keeping exposure to any upside if advanced air mobility turns into a real market. For Archer, the stock component can conserve cash in a capital-intensive industry and extend its reach into adjacent technologies without building everything in-house. Some coverage said Insitu generates more than $200 million in annual revenue, which would add a defense-oriented business line to Archer’s mix.

The deal also marks a sharp turn in the relationship between the companies. Archer, Wisk and Boeing settled litigation in August 2023 after a bitter rivalry in the flying-taxi race. Two years later, the same landscape has shifted from legal conflict to consolidation, with one of aviation’s biggest names choosing a stake in Archer instead of competing head-on.

The transaction still needs regulatory approval, and some accounts said it could close by the end of 2026. If it does, the deal would leave Archer with a broader portfolio and Boeing with a meaningful claim on one of the sector’s most watched companies, a structure that may prove as important as the aircraft themselves.