Archer Aviation will acquire autonomous eVTOL aircraft developer Wisk Aero, along with airspace management software company SkyGrid and defense drone manufacturer Insitu, from Boeing in an all-stock transaction that hands Boeing just under one-fifth of Archer and a seat on its board, the companies announced on Monday. The deal delivers Archer the autonomy program of the rival that sued it for alleged trade secret theft five years ago.

Joby Aviation is buying Ohio-based defense contractor Resonant Sciences for roughly $500 million and consolidating its own military programs into the acquired business unit, the eVTOL manufacturer announced on Tuesday. The arrangement turns a decade of Joby’s defense side projects into a standalone business with its own leadership, facilities, and classified customer base.

The commercial aerospace sector could be roughly a decade away from achieving high-rate production of major composite aerostructures. Airbus and Boeing are exploring how to produce larger composite structures without curing them in autoclaves.

Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division has executed multiple AI-driven air intercepts against a crewed jet, using what it terms “sensor-driven autonomy” aboard the U.S. Air Force’s X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft. The campaign saw Skunk Works, the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, and industry partners collaborate to engage a piloted Northrop T-38 Talon above Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Hybrid-electric propulsion system developer Ampaire has started demonstration flights in Utah as part of the FAA-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. On August 6, the California-based company reported that its EEL technology demonstrator aircraft had completed a series of flights intended to replicate possible commercial routes.

Eve Air Mobility has achieved what it terms the “first partial transition flight of its engineering prototype,” marking the start of a campaign it says is on track to achieve a full-speed forward transition with its eVTOL aircraft by the end of the year. According to the company, the test flights will help determine the final configuration of a conforming prototype for the four-passenger Eve 100 model, which, following a design freeze by year-end, it aims to assemble and fly in the second half of 2027.

The U.S. Department of Defense has selected Robinson Unmanned to participate in the second round of its Drone Dominance Program. According to the offshoot of Robinson Helicopters, the announcement follows strong performance for the manufacturer's Spirit first-person-view uncrewed aerial system in the inaugural round.