Archer's Boeing unit deal clears Hart-Scott-Rodino wait

The transaction was announced in August and has now cleared the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period, which expired at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sept. 18. That satisfies one condition, but Archer still needs other regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions before the deal can be completed, and it continues to expect closing by the end of 2026.

Archer frames the combination as a physical AI platform for aerospace and defense. Its own aircraft and ZEE AI platform would be joined by Wisk's autonomous flight systems, SkyGrid's airspace-management software and Insitu's uncrewed aircraft. Wisk has developed six generations of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and completed more than 1,700 flight tests; Insitu has manufactured and fielded more than 3,500 aircraft and says its systems are used by armed forces in 35 countries. Boeing and Archer put the three units' combined flight hours at nearly 2 million.

Boeing would not exit the technology entirely. It will retain access to Wisk's autonomous flight technology for current and future commercial and defense aircraft through a collaboration and technology-sharing agreement, and it will keep its stake in Archer. How much the combined platform accelerates Archer's push into autonomous aerospace and defense may hinge on the remaining regulatory approvals and the terms of that ongoing Boeing relationship, which have not been detailed publicly.