Business · 11 August, 2026 · 2 min read
Joby Aviation Agrees To Acquire Resonant Sciences In $500 Million Defense Deal
Joby to acquire Resonant Sciences for $500 million, funding with $450M cash and $50M stock. Acquisition creates dedicated defense business and brings Resonant's programs and team into Joby.
Breaking Defense foregrounds Air Force range failures.
6 of 8 outlets skipped it: resonant provides an FCL and cleared personnel Joby lacked for classified work.
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Breaking Defense
“fully electrified aircraftlacked the range necessaryfor more demanding defense missions.”Read the original ↗
Joby Aviation
“delivering immediate scale through a rapidly growing and EBITDA-positive business supporting active U.S. national security programs.”Read the original ↗
Breaking Defense foregrounds Air Force range failures; Joby press release foregrounds profit and RF integration
Joby buys Resonant
Joby Aviation agreed to acquire Resonant Sciences in a $500 million deal that will convert the Dayton, Ohio-based company into Joby’s dedicated defense business, according to a regulatory filing and company announcements.J
“The $500 million acquisition consists of roughly $450 million in cash and $50 million in Joby common stock”
The transaction consists of roughly $450 million in cash and $50 million in Joby common stock, and it is expected to close “in the first half of 2027,” subject to regulatory approval.
Joby said Resonant will continue operating under the Resonant Sciences name and be led by co-founder and CEO J. Micah North, while Joby’s commercial organization keeps its focus on certifying, manufacturing, and launching its electric air taxi.
Joby also said the acquisition is meant to integrate its in-house autonomy stack with Resonant’s radio frequency (RF) “sensing and signal-processing capabilities,” accelerating software-defined autonomous systems for defense customers.
Defense unit details
Joby said the new defense unit will consolidate its existing defense initiatives, including the development of dual-use turbine-electric and hydrogen-electric aircraft and a dual-use autonomy technology stack.
In a statement, Resonant co-founder and CEO J. Micah North said, “Joining Joby gives our team access to additional engineering depth, aircraft platforms, autonomy technology and production expertise,” adding that Resonant’s name and commitments to customers will remain in place.
Joby’s plan also ties the defense expansion to its commercial priorities, with the company saying the defense unit will allow the rest of Joby Aviation to focus on certifying, manufacturing, and launching its electric air taxi.
The deal’s rationale, as described by TechCrunch, is that Resonant provides “a money-making business,” with reported $100 million in trailing 12-month revenue and access to classified programs run by the U.S. government.
Financing, footprint, and timing
Joby plans to fund the acquisition with about $450 million in cash and $50 million in common stock, and it also entered into an equity distribution agreement to sell up to $750 million of its common stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission regulatory filing.
“The transaction is expected to close “in the first half of 2027,” subject to regulatory approval”
The companies described Resonant as a high-growth defense business founded in 2015 that employs approximately 250 people, with more than 90 percent of its team members holding security clearances.
Resonant’s manufacturing footprint is set to expand Joby’s Ohio presence, with Resonant operating about 105,000 square feet across seven buildings in the Dayton area and an additional 125,000 square feet under construction, alongside facilities in Virginia, West Virginia, Michigan, Colorado and North Carolina.
Joby’s defense push arrives as the company continues to pursue military work alongside L3Harris Technologies, and Breaking Defense said the deal is expected to close “in the first half of 2027,” subject to regulatory approval.B