Bloomberg
• Leen Al-Rashdan
Archer Aviation has agreed to acquire Boeing subsidiaries Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid, combining two former eVTOL rivals while expanding Archer into autonomy and adjacent aerospace businesses. Boeing will receive a nearly 20% stake in Archer and retain access to Wisk’s core autonomy technology under the transaction.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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Retired Gen. James McConville says hybrid-electric rotorcraft could improve tactical range and sortie generation, while the Army advances a platoon-level short-range reconnaissance UAS fly-off and a U.S. drone program emphasizing sovereign manufacturing. Separately, Boeing and Rheinmetall are positioning the MQ-28 Ghost Bat for Germany’s sixth-generation air-combat ambitions.
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Ukraine’s military intelligence says Russia is deploying Rassvet, a domestic Starlink-style satellite network, faster than planned and aims for nearly 300 satellites by 2027 and 924 by 2035. Separately, Russia reportedly developed Volna-Kupol-Garant, a system designed to disrupt satellite communications by targeting satellites rather than ground terminals.
High activity
Archer Aviation has agreed to acquire Boeing subsidiaries Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid, combining two former eVTOL rivals while expanding Archer into autonomy and adjacent aerospace businesses. Boeing will receive a nearly 20% stake in Archer and retain access to Wisk’s core autonomy technology under the transaction.
High activity
Archer Aviation will acquire Boeing subsidiaries Wisk Aero, drone maker Insitu and air traffic-management firm SkyGrid in an all-stock transaction pending regulatory approval. The deal would give Boeing nearly 20% of Archer, make it the largest outside shareholder and add a board seat, with closing expected by year-end.
Rheinmetall will establish a systems-integration facility in Germany for Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft, adding national technology as the partners seek to position the platform for a Luftwaffe requirement targeted for 2029.
The first production YFQ-44A and the start of FQ-42A manufacturing show how rapidly the U.S. Air Force is moving collaborative combat aircraft from concept toward fielding. The effort reflects a wartime-priority approach to deploying new unmanned combat-aircraft capabilities.
Two drones were spotted above a military base in western Germany, authorities said, two days after an explosive-laden drone was found near a runway at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The incidents raise immediate security concerns for military installations and airport operations, although authorities have not established a connection between them.
A drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania and exploded in a sunflower field near Kardam, about 1 kilometer from a compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. Bulgaria said an initial debris assessment indicated a model commonly used by Ukraine; there were no casualties or infrastructure damage.
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