Boeing is selling its air taxi startups to Archer Aviation
Boeing is selling its air taxi startups to Archer Aviation
波音公司将旗下空中出租车初创企业出售给 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. 波音公司正在将其三家电动垂直起降（eVTOL）子公司出售给 Archer Aviation，并同时收购了这家总部位于圣何塞的公司未公开比例的股份。
The subsidiaries 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. Archer 将收购的子公司包括：一直致力于开发自动驾驶电动飞机的 Wisk Aero；正在构建城市空中出租车空中交通管理系统的 SkyGrid；以及为美国海军制造高空无人机的 Insitu。作为交易的一部分，波音和 Archer 将共享技术，波音将保留 Wisk 自动飞行系统的使用权，用于其当前及下一代的商业和国防项目。
The deal likely allows Boeing to re-focus 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 over 6,200 planes that its customers have ordered that the aerospace giant has yet to build. The company is also under intense regulatory scrutiny following several notable safety incidents, including a Boeing 737 Max that lost a chunk of fuselage mid-flight in 2024. 这笔交易很可能使波音能够将财务重心重新聚焦于其核心的商用飞机业务，同时也巩固了 Archer 在争夺首家实现电动空中出租车商业化运营竞赛中的地位。波音目前面临着高达 7150 亿美元的积压订单，涉及客户已订购但尚未制造的 6200 多架飞机。此外，在 2024 年发生波音 737 Max 飞行途中机身脱落等几起重大安全事故后，该公司正处于严格的监管审查之下。
Meanwhile, Archer has said it is planning to launch pilot air taxi services in several markets, including New York, Texas, and Florida, before the end of the year. The company is also positioning itself as a military supplier, having recently unveiled a new eVTOL aircraft co-developed with Palmer Luckey’s defense tech company Anduril. 与此同时，Archer 表示计划在今年年底前在纽约、德克萨斯州和佛罗里达州等多个市场推出试点空中出租车服务。该公司还将自己定位为军事供应商，最近发布了一款与 Palmer Luckey 的国防科技公司 Anduril 共同开发的全新 eVTOL 飞机。
“This transaction is a win-win for Boeing and Archer,” Brian Yutko, Boeing vice president, Commercial Airplanes Product Development, said in a statement. “It allows Wisk, SkyGrid and Insitu to accelerate capability development and time to market while ensuring Boeing capitalizes on its investments in these technologies over the past two decades through continued development in our core businesses.” “这笔交易对波音和 Archer 来说是双赢，”波音商用飞机产品开发副总裁 Brian Yutko 在一份声明中表示。“它使 Wisk、SkyGrid 和 Insitu 能够加快能力开发和上市时间，同时确保波音通过在我们核心业务中的持续发展，从过去二十年对这些技术的投资中获益。”
Archer CEO Adam Goldstein called the deal “a watershed moment” that represents for Archer “the next big step forward in becoming a diversified platform, rapidly growing our revenue base and bringing scale to our business.” Archer 首席执行官 Adam Goldstein 将这笔交易称为“一个分水岭时刻”，这代表了 Archer “在成为多元化平台方面迈出的下一个重要步伐，将迅速扩大我们的收入基础并实现业务规模化。”
Wisk was formed in 2019 as a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk, the flying taxi startup bankrolled by Google cofounder Larry Page. Wisk has designed, built, and flown six generations of its eVTOL aircraft, amassing 1,700-plus flight tests. Notably, Wisk sued Archer in 2021 for allegedly stealing its trade secrets and infringing on its patents. The two sides settled the dispute in 2023, with Wisk agreeing to be the exclusive provider of autonomous flying technology to Archer. Wisk 成立于 2019 年，是波音与由谷歌联合创始人拉里·佩奇（Larry Page）资助的飞行出租车初创公司 Kitty Hawk 的合资企业。Wisk 已经设计、制造并试飞了六代 eVTOL 飞机，累计进行了 1700 多次飞行测试。值得注意的是，Wisk 曾在 2021 年起诉 Archer，指控其窃取商业机密并侵犯专利。双方于 2023 年解决了纠纷，Wisk 同意成为 Archer 自动飞行技术的独家供应商。