Wisk Aero is seeking a court injunction to prevent Archer Aviation from using trade secrets the Kitty Hawk/Boeing joint company alleges were stolen by former employees hired away by the rival urban air-taxi developer. Archer described the lawsuit as “baseless.”
Volocopter has unveiled a larger, longer-range electric vertical-takeoff air taxi aimed at expanding its planned urban air mobility service out to the suburbs.
With more than 100 companies trying to break into the nascent urban air mobility market, it is perhaps inevitable that some of the vehicle designs look similar. But Boeing-backed Wisk sees enough similarities between one of its designs and new entrant Archer’s aircraft that it has filed a lawsuit.
Lift Aircraft, maker of the Hexa electric vertical takeoff and landing multicopter, has joined Joby Aviation in gaining U.S. military flight release via the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program, according to the Air Force director of AFWerx.
Archer said the agreement supports its vision of being a leader in the first wave of urban air mobility providers with the goal of beginning passenger services by 2024.
