SANTA CRUZ, CA and DAYTON, OH, Aug 13, 2026 – Joby Aviation has signed a agreement to acquire Resonant Sciences for about $500 million. The deal, expected to close in the first half of 2027, is funded with $450 million in cash and $50 million in stock.
Resonant performs end-to-end payload integration and aircraft modification. Its electronics, apertures, and radomes are qualified across more than 20 commercial and defense airframes, and it holds content positions on multiple defense platforms. Those platforms reflect the defense sector’s shift toward autonomous, lower-cost aircraft, where sensing, electronic countermeasures, and communications are central to mission effectiveness.
Resonant Becomes Joby’s Dedicated Defense Unit
Upon closing, Resonant will operate under its own name as Joby’s defense business, led by co-founder and CEO J. Micah North. Joby’s defense initiatives will move into the unit. That includes development of dual-use turbine-electric and hydrogen-electric aircraft and a dual-use autonomy technology stack. The arrangement lets Joby’s commercial aviation organization focus on certifying, manufacturing, and commercializing its electric air taxi.
“Resonant has built an exceptional business that combines advanced technology, vertically integrated production capabilities and deep customer trust,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. “The combination will pair Resonant’s established capabilities with Joby’s globally leading aircraft propulsion technologies, creating a powerful platform for the next phase of Resonant’s growth. What makes this combination especially compelling is how closely aligned our teams are. Having worked with Micah and his team for several years, we know that we share a passion for deep technical innovation, a bias toward solving hard problems from first principles and a vertically integrated approach that brings design, engineering, testing and production together under one roof.”
“Demand for advanced defense technology is growing rapidly, and Resonant has built the technology, customer relationships and manufacturing capabilities required to meet it,” said J. Micah North, co-founder and CEO of Resonant Sciences. “Joining Joby gives our team access to additional engineering depth, aircraft platforms, autonomy technology and production expertise, allowing us to move faster for our existing customers and pursue opportunities that neither company could address alone,” he added. “Resonant’s name, leadership, people and commitments to our customers will remain in place. What changes is the scale of what we can build and deliver.”
“Resonant is a fast-growing business with strong visibility into future revenue, supported by a growing backlog and accelerating demand across its core defense markets,” said Rodrigo Brumana, chief financial officer of Joby Aviation. “It generates healthy adjusted EBITDA margins, and its technology, customer relationships and scaled manufacturing make it a strong strategic fit for Joby as we build out our defense business.”
Facilities and Footprint
Resonant operates approx. 105,000 square feet of engineering, integration, testing, and manufacturing space across seven buildings in the Dayton, Ohio, area. A 125,000-square-foot facility is under construction, more than doubling its footprint and adding capacity for RF testing, composites, and large-scale machining. Resonant also has facilities in Virginia, West Virginia, Michigan, Colorado, and North Carolina. Combined with Joby’s 768,000 square feet of facility in Ohio, the companies will have about 1 million square feet of manufacturing, integration, and testing space across the Dayton region.
Source: Joby Aviation
About Joby Aviation
Joby Aviation develops electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for urban air mobility. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Santa Cruz, CA, the company is building a piloted, five-seat aircraft intended for short-range passenger transport with an estimated range of about 100 miles and a top speed of 200 mph. Joby works in the aerospace, defense and air-mobility sectors, with operations that include aircraft development, parts manufacturing and fleet services in CA and OH. The company plans to operate its air-taxi service and also sell aircrafts. Joby is pursuing FAA certification to support a planned commercial launch targeted for 2026.
About Resonant Sciences
Resonant Sciences develops aerospace and defense hardware, measurement systems and engineering services. Founded in 2015, the company is headquartered in Dayton, OH. Its products and services include advanced apertures, mission systems, signature systems, diagnostics, instrumentation radars, electromagnetic measurement and integrated electronics. The company also performs aerospace manufacturing, environmental testing, materials characterization and calibration. Customers include U.S. defense organizations, commercial aerospace companies, and government and industrial users. Its work supports aircraft systems, radar and sensor testing, electronic integration, and survivability applications. Resonant Sciences operates in Ohio, Colorado, West Virginia, Michigan, Virginia and North Carolina. The company reports more than 250 employees at six locations. It operates more than 200,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space.
