Joby Aviation buys defense firm Resonant Sciences in $500M push into military aircraft
What's the deal? Joby Aviation is acquiring Dayton, Ohio-based defence firm Resonant SciencesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → for $500 million, expanding the electric aircraft maker's push into military work. Joby plans to finance the deal with $450 million in cash and $50 million in equity, with closing expected in early 2027.
What each side brings. Resonant, founded in 2015 with around 250 employees, builds sensors, antennas and signal-processing systems that help aircraft see, communicate and stay hard to detect in complex environments, including war zones. Its products are already qualified across more than 20 commercial and defence airframes. Joby says it will pair that with its own propulsion and autonomy technology to design and build stealth aircraft.
What's the endgame? After the deal closes, Resonant will operate as Joby's dedicated defence division. Joby's commercial arm will stay focused on air taxis, the first of which are expected to launch later in 2026.
Why now? Joby has courted the military since 2016, when it joined the Defense Innovation UnitDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → project. It became the first eVTOL developer to win an airworthiness approval from the US Air Force in 2020, and delivered its first aircraft to Edwards Air Force Base in 2023.
The numbers. Air taxis have yet to clear regulators in most markets, so companies like Joby keep posting steep losses. Last week, Joby reported a net loss of $245.4 million in the second quarter of 2026 on $38.6 million in revenue.
The signal. Electric aircraft developers are increasingly chasing military contracts to offset their cash-intensive commercial ambitions. Rival Archer Aviation last month unveiled an aircraft co-developed with defence firm AndurilDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and yesterday agreed to buy three of BoeingDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s eVTOL subsidiaries — a sign consolidation is now reshaping the sector.
Read more: The Verge
Image credit: Armchair Aviator
