Joby Aviation, the California eVTOL air taxi developer, has agreed to acquire Resonant Sciences, an Ohio-based defense technology company, for approximately $500 million in cash and stock — about $450 million in cash and $50 million in stock, according to a regulatory filing. The deal, reported Monday, will kick off Joby's new dedicated defense business, giving it a standalone division rather than a side project.
Resonant Sciences, headquartered in Beavercreek, Ohio, brings roughly 250 aerospace specialists to Joby, along with advanced RF sensing and antenna systems, mission systems engineering and hypersonic test and evaluation capabilities. The company describes itself as designing, building and testing "advanced apertures" and mission systems — work that spans defense electronics, sensing and test infrastructure for aerospace applications. Its website now carries the announcement that it has signed an agreement to join Joby (NYSE: JOBY).
The acquisition is a strategic bet by Joby beyond its core mission of commercial air taxi service. The company is developing an all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft with piloted, and eventually autonomous, passenger service in mind, and has long worked with the US military under programs like Agility Prime. Folding Resonant's defense expertise into a dedicated business lets Joby pursue defense contracts and dual-use technology at a larger scale, with manufacturing space expected to total roughly one million square feet combined.
For the broader eVTOL industry, the move continues a pattern of diversification: with commercial certification timelines still uncertain, several air mobility companies have leaned into defense and government work to fund development. Joby's purchase of Resonant Sciences follows last week's news that rival Archer Aviation agreed to acquire Boeing's Wisk Aero — reshaping the competitive map of the young industry in a single week. The deal is expected to close subject to customary conditions and regulatory approval.
