Three years after settling a trade-secret lawsuit, Wisk Aero is joining the company it once accused of stealing its ideas. Archer Aviation has struck a deal to absorb Wisk plus two other Boeing subsidiaries in exchange for a stake in the electric aircraft maker.
Boeing will receive newly issued Archer shares worth about 16.5% of the combined company, according to a regulatory filing. The package includes SkyGrid, a digital airspace software business, and Insitu, a profitable maker of uncrewed surveillance aircraft that has deployed more than 3,500 units.
Together the three units operate across 35 countries, log nearly two million flight hours and add more than $200 million in annual revenue, pushing Archer beyond passenger air taxis into defense. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2026.
The acquisition caps a bitter history. In 2021, Wisk sued Archer for alleged theft of confidential information; the pair spent two years in litigation before settling. Wisk itself traces back to Kittyhawk, the Alphabet-backed aviation venture led by Sebastian Thrun, whose Cora program was spun into a Boeing joint venture and renamed. Boeing poured $450 million into Wisk in 2022 before taking full ownership.
For Archer, the purchase removes a rival and delivers instant defense exposure as governments pour money into autonomous flight. For Boeing, it trades a cash-draining venture for equity in a pure-play eVTOL company. Whether the once-fierce rivals can integrate cleanly is the open question.
