Joby Aviation to buy defense firm Resonant Sciences for $500 million

Joby Aviation said on August 11, 2026 that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Resonant Sciences, a defense technology company based in Dayton, Ohio, for approximately $500 million. According to Joby, the deal gives the California-based electric air taxi developer immediate scale in the defense sector through an already profitable business tied to active US national security programs.

Resonant, founded in 2015, designs and manufactures radio frequency and mission systems for national security customers and describes itself as a leader in low-observability technologies. The roughly 250-person firm also works on advanced sensing, electronic countermeasures, communications and autonomous systems. Joby said Resonant generated more than $100 million in trailing-12-month revenue, up about 40% year over year, with adjusted EBITDA margins in the high teens, and that bookings in the first half of 2026 were more than three times higher than a year earlier.

Once the acquisition closes, Resonant will operate as Joby's dedicated defense business under its own name, led by co-founder and chief executive J. Micah North. Joby's existing defense-related work, including a turbine-electric hybrid aircraft being developed with L3Harris since 2025 and a dual-use autonomy stack, will be absorbed into the new unit, while Joby's commercial arm continues to focus on certifying and manufacturing its electric air taxi.

Resonant operates about 105,000 square feet of facilities across seven buildings in the Dayton area, with another 125,000 square feet under construction, plus sites in Virginia, West Virginia, Michigan, Colorado and North Carolina. Combined with Joby's existing Ohio operations, the companies said the acquisition would give them close to one million square feet of combined manufacturing and integration space.