Boeing is selling its air taxi startups to Archer Aviation
Boeing is selling three of its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) subsidiaries to Archer Aviation, in addition to taking an undisclosed stake in the San Jose-based company.
The subsidiares to be acquired by Archer include Wisk Aero, which has been developing an autonomous electric aircraft; SkyGrid, which is building air traffic management systems to be used by urban air taxis; and Insitu, which makes high-altitude drones used by the US Navy. As part of the deal, Boeing and Archer will share technology and Boeing will retain access to Wisk’s autonomous flight systems for its current and next-gen commercial and defense projects.
The deal likely allows Boeing to re-focus on its finances on its core commercial airplanes, while also bolstering Archer’s position in the race to be the first to put electric air taxis into commercial service. Boeing is currently facing an enormous $715 billion backlog, representing...
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