Joby Aviation Goes Big on Defense: $500 Million Deal to Acquire Resonant Sciences
eVTOL air taxi developer Joby Aviation has agreed to acquire Ohio-based radio-frequency and sensor systems maker Resonant Sciences for roughly $450 million in cash plus $50 million in stock, a total deal value of $500 million. The acquisition is Joby’s most concrete step yet toward building a dedicated, standalone defense business alongside its civilian air-taxi program.
At a Glance
- The deal comprises roughly $450 million in cash and $50 million in Joby stock, for a total of $500 million.
- The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approval.
- Resonant Sciences specializes in radomes and antennas, aircraft testing, and stealth design, and reported $100 million in trailing 12-month revenue.
- Resonant employs roughly 250 people and has access to classified US government programs.
- Resonant co-founder and CEO J. Micah North will lead Joby’s new defense division, which will absorb Joby’s existing defense projects.
Background
Joby Aviation has, until now, been known primarily as a civil air-mobility company developing piloted and uncrewed electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. But as global defense budgets grow and demand for unmanned aerial systems rises, civil aviation companies entering the defense market has become a clear trend. Resonant Sciences’ expertise in stealth design, radome and antenna production, and its access to classified programs gives Joby a parallel defense revenue stream while it continues to navigate civil certification. Under the deal structure, Resonant’s brand and leadership will largely be preserved, while Joby’s existing defense projects will be folded into the new unit — letting the core company focus on civil certification, manufacturing and the air-taxi launch, while defense work is run by a dedicated, specialized team.
What It Means for Turkey
The Joby-Resonant deal illustrates a model that is becoming increasingly common across the global defense industry: civilian technology companies rapidly entering the military market by acquiring niche defense capabilities. That model carries an indirect lesson for Turkey’s defense and aerospace ecosystem. Baykar’s own drone work and future air-taxi/eVTOL ambitions, along with TAI’s diversifying product portfolio, are converging on a similar civil-military dual-use strategy; the Resonant example shows that acquiring niche but high-tech firms — in radar, electronic warfare, or sensors — can be a faster route to new capability than building from scratch. The broader consolidation wave in the US defense-tech sector also creates an opening for Turkish firms such as ASELSAN and ROKETSAN to consider partnerships or acquisitions of niche technology companies abroad; small but technologically advanced Western start-ups in radar, sensor and electronic-warfare fields could increasingly come onto the radar of Turkey’s defense giants as well.
FAQ
Why is Joby acquiring Resonant Sciences? To build a standalone, focused defense business separate from its civil air-taxi operations, and to leverage Resonant’s radar/sensor expertise and access to classified programs.
What is the deal worth? A total of $500 million — about $450 million in cash and $50 million in stock.
What does Resonant Sciences make? Radome and antenna systems, aircraft testing services, and stealth design.
Sources
- TechCrunch, “Joby Aviation builds out defense business with $500M acquisition,” August 11, 2026.
- Breaking Defense, “Joby to buy Resonant Sciences, establish defense business in $500 million deal,” August 2026.
- Axios, “Joby builds defense muscle with $500M buy of Resonant Sciences,” August 11, 2026.
