Joby Aviation Buys Resonant Sciences for $500M to Expand Defense
Joby Aviation will buy Resonant Sciences for $500 million, adding $100 million in revenue and a defense unit while it advances the S4 electric air taxi.
Summary
A regulatory filing posted Tuesday, August 11, 2026, says California-based Joby Aviation agreed to acquire Ohio-based Resonant Sciences for $500 million in cash and stock, deepening the electric air taxi developer’s defense push. Resonant, which produces radio frequency and sensor systems, generated $100 million in trailing 12-month revenue, has access to classified U.S. government programs, and offers technology complementary to Joby’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Co-founder and CEO J. Micah North will lead a dedicated defense division combining Resonant with Joby’s turbine-electric and hydrogen-electric aircraft projects and autonomy technology stack. The structure lets Joby’s remaining business concentrate on certifying, manufacturing, and launching short-distance electric air taxis for passengers and goods. No closing date was provided.
In 2025, Joby and L3Harris Technologies agreed to examine an autonomous gas-turbine hybrid VTOL defense aircraft based on Joby’s all-electric S4 platform. Under a government contract in 2024, a hydrogen-electric hybrid S4 flew 521 miles, more than twice the battery-electric prototype’s range. Joby, public since a 2021 blank-check merger, has used acquisitions to generate revenue while eVTOL development, certification, and mass production remain expensive and lengthy. Its approximately $125 million purchase of Blade Air Mobility’s helicopter rideshare operation in 2025 added 12 terminals, including bases at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty Airport, Manhattan’s east and west sides, and Wall Street. Blade contributed $36.2 million of Joby’s $38.6 million second-quarter revenue.
Positives
- Resonant Sciences brings $100 million in trailing 12-month revenue and access to classified U.S. government programs.
- J. Micah North will lead a dedicated division consolidating Joby’s defense aircraft and autonomy projects.
- A hydrogen-electric S4 flew 521 miles in 2024, more than twice the battery-electric prototype’s range.
- Blade Air Mobility contributed $36.2 million of Joby’s $38.6 million second-quarter revenue.
- Resonant’s radio frequency and sensor systems complement Joby’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft technology.
Risks & concerns
- Developing, certifying, and mass-producing eVTOLs remains an expensive, years-long process before Joby’s core air taxi operation can scale.
- Blade supplied $36.2 million of Joby’s $38.6 million second-quarter revenue, showing heavy dependence on the acquired helicopter business.
- The Resonant transaction costs $500 million in cash and stock, while the supplied article provides no closing date or payment split.
- The 2025 L3Harris Technologies agreement only examines opportunities for an autonomous gas-turbine hybrid VTOL defense aircraft.
