Joby Aviation Launches Defense Division With $500M Resonant Sciences Acquisition

TL;DR

• Joby Aviation has acquired Ohio-based defense electronics firm Resonant Sciences for approximately $500 million to form its new dedicated defense unit, Joby Defense.
• The deal gives Joby immediate access to Resonant's proven portfolio of radar, electronic warfare, and RF systems already deployed across major Department of Defense programs, accelerating its military certification and revenue path.
• The acquisition signals a major strategic shift for the eVTOL pioneer, positioning its quiet, hybrid-electric aircraft and autonomy technology for frontline military missions including logistics, surveillance, and contested operations.

A Strategic Pivot From Air Taxis to National Security

Joby Aviation, long known as a frontrunner in the race to launch commercial electric air taxis, is making its most aggressive move yet into the defense market. The company has confirmed it will acquire Resonant Sciences in a deal valued at approximately $500 million, using the acquisition as the foundation for a newly formed standalone defense business.

The transaction, expected to close in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approval, will be paid in a combination of cash and Joby common stock. It marks by far the largest acquisition in Joby's history and a clear statement that the company sees the Department of Defense as a core customer, not just an early partner.

Joby has worked with the U.S. Air Force since 2020 through the Agility Prime program, delivering aircraft to Edwards Air Force Base for testing and logging hundreds of quiet, emissions-free flight hours. With the creation of Joby Defense, the company is moving from a contractor and technology demonstrator to a vertically integrated defense prime.

Why Resonant Sciences Is the Missing Piece

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Resonant Sciences is not a typical startup. The company is a specialized defense electronics provider that designs and manufactures high-performance electromagnetic and radio-frequency systems for the U.S. military.

Its core expertise lies in radar systems, electronic warfare, intelligent sensors, and advanced power conversion and thermal management — critical subsystems that allow aircraft and drones to operate in contested, GPS-denied environments. Resonant's hardware is already integrated into multiple active Department of Defense platforms and is trusted across the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

For Joby, the value is twofold. First, it instantly acquires deep DoD relationships, security clearances, and a track record of delivering qualified, mission-ready hardware — a process that can otherwise take years to build from scratch. Second, Resonant's compact, lightweight, and power-efficient electronics are a direct complement to Joby's electric propulsion architecture, where weight, thermal load, and power management are paramount.

Inside the New Joby Defense Division

The new division will operate as Joby Defense and will combine Joby's aircraft platform with Resonant's electronics and systems integration expertise. Resonant's leadership team and its approximately 250 engineers and staff will remain in place and form the core of the new unit.

The strategy is to offer the Pentagon more than just an aircraft. Joby Defense will market a family of dual-use systems: the base Joby S4 eVTOL aircraft for crewed and autonomous logistics, plus modified variants equipped with Resonant's sensor and electronic warfare payloads for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

The company's low acoustic signature, already a selling point for urban air mobility, becomes a tactical advantage for the military. Joby's aircraft is up to 100 times quieter than a conventional helicopter during takeoff and nearly silent in cruise, enabling resupply and medical evacuation missions that are less detectable to adversaries. The company is also developing a hydrogen-electric variant with extended range and a fully autonomous flight stack, both of which are highly attractive for contested logistics.

A Catalyst for Military Advanced Air Mobility

The acquisition comes as the Pentagon sharply increases investment in Advanced Air Mobility and hybrid-electric aircraft. The Air Force and Marine Corps are actively seeking alternatives to traditional helicopters that are cheaper to operate, easier to maintain, and capable of operating from austere locations without long runways.

By acquiring Resonant, Joby solves two of the biggest hurdles for defense adoption: survivability and integration. Resonant's electronic warfare and countermeasure systems can help protect the aircraft against radar and missile threats, while its power electronics expertise will be crucial for integrating mission systems without compromising range or payload.

Analysts see the move as a way for Joby to diversify its revenue well before its commercial air taxi service scales. While FAA certification for commercial passenger operations is still in the final stages, defense contracts can provide near-term, high-margin revenue and validate the aircraft in demanding real-world operations. The company has already secured additional Department of Defense contracts valued at over $100 million, and the Resonant deal is expected to unlock a much larger pipeline of programs.

The deal also puts Joby in more direct competition with defense primes like Anduril, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris, all of which are racing to define the future of autonomous and electrified military aviation.

What Comes Next

Joby says integration of the two companies will begin immediately, with a focus on demonstrating a Resonant-equipped Joby aircraft for defense customers within the next 12 months. The company will continue to pursue FAA type certification for its commercial aircraft in parallel, leveraging flight test data from its military operations to accelerate the process.

For the broader Advanced Air Mobility industry, Joby's $500 million bet validates a thesis that has been building for years: the first large-scale deployment of eVTOL aircraft in the United States may not be over a city, but on a battlefield. If Joby Defense can successfully merge a next-generation airframe with battle-tested defense electronics, it could redefine how the military thinks about vertical lift for the next two decades.

AndroGuider Team

Articles written by the AndroGuider team. We try to make them thorough and informational while being easy to read.