Joby Aviation, the electric air taxi maker, said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire Resonant Sciences, an Ohio-based defense technology company, for roughly $500 million — a bet that its future extends well beyond ferrying passengers across congested cities.

Joby will pay about $450 million in cash and $50 million in common stock, and the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027. Once completed, Resonant Sciences will become Joby's dedicated defense business, combining its existing operations with Joby's hybrid aircraft and autonomy technologies.

Resonant Sciences designs, manufactures and delivers advanced radio-frequency and mission systems for US national security customers. Its expertise in communications, sensing and electronic systems pairs naturally with the autonomous and hybrid aircraft technologies Joby has spent years developing. The acquisition also brings roughly one million square feet of manufacturing, integration and testing space across the Dayton, Ohio region — a footprint that could prove valuable as Joby moves from development into larger-scale production and defense programs.

The deal marks a strategic shift for a company best known for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. About four months ago, Joby launched its first commercial air taxi flights in New York City, demonstrating trips to John F. Kennedy International Airport in around seven minutes. That commercial business remains intact; the defense unit will run alongside it.

Defense has become an increasingly attractive market for aviation startups. Military interest in autonomous aircraft, drones, hybrid propulsion and advanced communications has grown amid the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and defense customers are willing to pay for technology before mass passenger service becomes commonplace. Investors initially reacted coolly — Joby shares fell about 6.5% in premarket trading — but the company is betting that defense revenue can help fund the long road to commercial scale.

For the eVTOL sector more broadly, the acquisition signals that the path to profitability may run through the military as much as the airport.

Sources