A complex legal imbroglio was resolved by Boeing amicably this week. Owner of the start-up Wisk, focused on Urban Air Mobility, the US manufacturer decided to invest in Archer, a competitor that develops eVTOLs in California.
Wisk and Archer clashed in April 2021 when the first accused the second of stealing trade secrets and patents, taken by former employees.
The action filed by Wisk was supported by Boeing, which motivated Archer to also sue the two companies, asking for US$ 1 billion for defamation – according to the start-up, the public statements caused damages related to financing and commercial partnerships.
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The three companies, however, reached an amicable agreement that foresees that Archer will use the autonomous technology developed by Wisk in its future aircraft.
As compensation, Boeing became an investor in Archer. In fact, the Californian company announced on Thursday that it had received a capital injection of US$ 215 million that includes Boeing, United Airlines and Stellantis, a giant in the automotive sector that owns brands such as Jeep, Fiat, Peugeot and Citroën.
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Archer is one of the most forward-scheduled eVTOL manufacturers in the market. The company expects to start production of its electric aircraft as early as 2024 with a view to putting them into service in 2025.
In July, the company received support from the US Air Force (USAF) to develop an eVTOL for military application.
