The US Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period for Archer's acquisition of Boeing's Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid expired on 18 September 2026. Other regulatory approvals are still pending, and Archer expects to close by the end of 2026, leaving it with two very different eVTOL certification programmes.
18 Sep 2026 — HSR antitrust waiting period expired 3 — Boeing subsidiaries being acquired (Wisk, Insitu, SkyGrid) ~20% — reported Boeing equity stake in Archer End-2026 — Archer's expected closing date
The deal would put a piloted eVTOL (Midnight) and an autonomous one (Wisk Generation 6) in the same company, alongside a defence drone business and airspace software. How Archer prioritises those programmes will shape both certification efforts.
Remaining approvals and closing, Archer's post-close plan for Generation 6, technology sharing with Boeing, and use of SkyGrid's airspace software in Archer operations.
Archer Aviation said on 24 September 2026 that the US Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust waiting period for its acquisition of three Boeing subsidiaries, Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid, expired on 18 September. Completion still depends on other customary closing conditions, including further regulatory approvals that Archer says are under way. The company continues to expect the deal to close by the end of 2026.
Archer and Boeing announced the transaction on 10 August 2026. Instead of cash, Boeing takes a strategic equity stake in Archer, reported at close to 20%, and the two companies will collaborate and share technology. Boeing keeps access to Wisk's autonomous-flight technology for its own aircraft. No purchase price has been disclosed.
Each unit brings something different:
The combination puts two contrasting eVTOL approaches in one company. Archer's Midnight is a piloted aircraft whose FAA programme closed Phase 3 in April 2026 and is now in Phase 4 compliance testing. Wisk's Generation 6 is designed from the start to fly without a pilot on board, supervised from the ground. That makes its approval depend not only on the airframe but also on the FAA accepting the autonomous operating concept, the ground-control architecture and the communications links.
Archer has framed the deal around autonomy and what it calls physical AI across air taxis, uncrewed systems and airspace software. It has not said in detail how it will prioritise Generation 6 certification alongside Midnight. That is the main technical question for the combined group once the deal closes: whether Wisk continues as a separate passenger programme, or whether its autonomy stack, flight-test data and engineering teams are mainly redeployed into Archer's piloted and defence products.
The remaining regulatory approvals and the closing date; Archer's plan for Generation 6 after closing; how Wisk's autonomy technology is shared with Boeing under the cross-licensing arrangement; and whether the SkyGrid airspace work is used in Archer's own US operations.
Not investment advice. This article is technical and programme analysis only and is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security.
Sources: Archer, 24 September 2026; Archer and Boeing deal announcement, 10 August 2026; The Air Current, August 2026; Wisk, 16 September 2026.
