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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why Archer Aviation Stock Skyrocketed Last Week
Key Points Archer Aviation stock saw big gains in conjunction with news that Joby Aviation had doubled its vehicle production capacity. Archer and Joby are competitors, but promising indicators in the eVTOL market often boost both companies valuations. Archer stock is also getting a boost from interest surrounding drones for the defense industry. 10 stocks we like better than Archer Aviation › Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) stock closed out the past week of trading with big gains. At the end of Friday's trading, the electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) specialist's share price was up 26.5% from the previous week's market close. Archer Aviation roared higher following news that its competitor Joby Aviation is scaling up its manufacturing operations. Archer stock also got a boost from rising excitement surrounding drones for the defense industry. Image source: Getty Images. Archer stock soars on Joby news and drone bets On July 15, Joby Aviation published a press release announcing that it had doubled its vehicle production capacity at its Marina, California, manufacturing facility. The company also announced that it was ramping up components manufacturing and testing operations at its renovated plant in Dayton, Ohio. Even though Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation are competitors, the fledgling eVTOL market is still in its infancy and should be able to support multiple winners. At this stage, Joby's progress actually appears to be a bullish indicator for Archer's outlook. In addition to the Joby news, Archer stock got a boost as investors bet on companies that could be poised to benefit as the U.S. moves to strengthen its position in defense drones. Despite some volatile swings across the stretch, Archer Aviation stock is now up 36% across 2025's trading. With its latest valuation gains, Archer now has a market capitalization of roughly $7.3 billion. What's next for Archer Aviation? Joby's move to significantly increase its manufacturing operations could be a sign that the company expects to receive the necessary regulatory permits to begin operating in some key markets soon. If Joby receives regulatory approvals, there's a good chance that Archer Aviation will also be in good position to receive approvals to begin commercial operations for its Midnight craft. But while the potential commencement of commercial operations in the air-taxi space is likely to be the biggest factor in whether Archer posts meaningful revenue this year this year, news about eVTOLs and other drones designed for the defense industry could actually be a bigger catalyst for the stock in the near term.
TechCrunch
8 hours ago
- TechCrunch
Robot guard dogs help Asylon raise a $26M Series B
Philadelphia-based robotics company Asylon announced Tuesday that it raised a $26 million Series B led by Insight Partners, with participation from Veteran Ventures Capital, Allegion Ventures, and the GoPA Fund. Asylon began as a drone company for securing facilities. It's best known for a drone that has a robotic arm that can change its own batteries. But it also has a robotic guard dog service called DroneDog. Asylon takes the famed Boston Dynamics robot dog Spot and modifies it for guard work and to integrate with its command-and-control Guardian software. Asylon offers the drones, dogs, and software as its robotic security-as-a-service (RaaS). A site can be secured with ground patrols via robot dogs and flying cameras that cover more areas than stationary cameras. DroneDogs can be sent to places unsafe for humans or real dogs. And they can perform almost dog sniffing-like tasks such as detecting gas leaks or dangerous chemicals. The company, which was founded in 2015, hasn't raised much venture capital prior to this compared with other drone and robotics companies. It previously raised about $21 million, plus some government grants, bringing its total raised to about $45 million, founder CEO Damon Henry told TechCrunch. While Henry described fundraising as hard, after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December, companies have increased spending on CEO home and facility security, such as DroneDog. Its RaaS can cost about $100,000 to $150,000 a year — akin to hiring a human bodyguard service. 'I went to an event last summer, a New York Tech Week event, and I happen to have met every investor that's in the round at that event,' Henry said. When he decided to raise, he already had warm intros with investors who were aware that security spending is rising. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW Henry and his two cofounders, Adam Mohamed (CTO) and Brent McLaughlin (COO), were dorm roommates at MIT. But unlike the classic Silicon Valley story, they did not drop out. They went to work as aerospace engineers after graduation for companies like GE Aviation, Boeing, and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. In 2015, the three friends saw Amazon announce its drone delivery service and were inspired. They quit their jobs and founded Asylon. By 2019 they had their first customer: Ford. And in 2021, the startup almost suffered a swift death. Ford had agreed to let them do a live demo event showing how their drones worked at its facility. A group of Fortune 500 had signed up to see the demo, Henry recalled. The night before the event, the drone crashed and was destroyed. Henry saw his company flash before his eyes: a ruined reputation. No customers. The end. A dedicated employee drove all night to deliver another drone, but the founders had precious little time to get it running. Miraculously, they did, and it worked flawlessly during the event. 'The system flew consistently, perfectly all day long,' he said. 'It won us our next three customers — Fortune 500 customers. And then the same day simultaneously, we actually won our first DoD contract for the drones.' The founders have been carefully growing the company ever since. Asylon now employs 65 and has systems deployed in 15 states, he said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
China's New Drone Wingmen Look Set For Military Parade Unveiling
Satellite imagery of preparations for a major upcoming military parade in China shows that new 'loyal wingman' type drones, or at least mockups thereof, are set to be revealed. A video clip has now emerged that is also drawing new attention to Chinese crewed-uncrewed teaming developments. Google Earth recently updated its library to include a satellite image taken on June 11, 2025, of a military base in Yangfang, a suburb northwest of the Chinese capital Beijing. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) regularly uses the facility to stage assets and train for large-scale parades. In June, Chinese authorities announced that a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the country's victory over Japan in World War II would be held on September 3, and that it would feature unspecified 'new-type combat capabilities.' Nearly two weeks ago, video also emerged showing mysteriously unidentified vehicles concealed underneath large, box-like structures, prompting speculation that a new armored vehicle will also be unveiled at the event. Related Stories Air Massive Stealth Flying Wing Emerges At Secretive Chinese Base Massive Stealth Flying Wing Emerges At Secretive Chinese Base By Tyler Rogoway Air China's Massive WZ-9 Divine Eagle Drone Now Operating From South China Sea Base China's Massive WZ-9 Divine Eagle Drone Now Operating From South China Sea Base By Joseph Trevithick, By Tyler Rogoway News & Features Clone Of Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat Drone Displayed By China Clone Of Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat Drone Displayed By China By Joseph Trevithick The June 11 image, which began circulating online last week, shows hundreds of vehicles, including what look to be self-propelled artillery pieces and transporter erector launchers for large ballistic missiles, and other materiel in neat rows at various areas of the Yangfang base. Of particular interest are drones under wraps on trailers at the northern end of the facility. The PLA has unveiled new and updated uncrewed aircraft designs in this same way at past parades in Beijing. Though the resolution of the satellite image is low, what look to be GJ-11 Sharp Sword stealthy flying-wing uncrewed combat air vehicles (UCAV), as well as what may be either Wing Loong or CH-4/5 Rainbow-series medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) types, are present. A BZK-005, another MALE design, looks to be visible, too. However, there are five airframes visible in the June 11 image that do not readily align with known Chinese types, and that look to be in line with loyal wingman-type designs. Four of them look to be tailless with modified diamond-like delta and cranked-kite wings, while the last one has what appears to be a more traditional wing and tail arrangement. The designs range in length from approximately 30 to 38 feet (nine to 12 meters), and in wingspan from 20 to 35 feet (six to 11 meters). Additional analysis of drones seen in the satellite image by Andreas Rupprecht, a Chinese aviation expert and contributor to this website, and Rick Joe, a long-time tracker of Chinese military developments, aligns with that of TWZ. Hmm ? Clearly visible are a GJ-11 in front, something like a GJ-1/2 or Ch-4/5 second (left) and a BZK-005 (right ?) … all others are new to me and look like loyal-wingman (aka high-tier MUMT or CCA) UCAVs. @ — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) July 16, 2025 GE from June shows a UAV contingent may be part of the Victory Day parade in Sept (like 2019 parade).We see GJ-11 pattern (boxed red), and a ?MALE airframe (black).Multiple new airframes that may be CCA in nature (blue) also trucks are 12.5m long, for scale. — Rick Joe (@RickJoe_PLA) July 17, 2025 Just this past weekend, a video also began circulating online showing what looks to be a tailless aircraft with a modified diamond-like delta platform flying in formation with a Y-8/9-series turboprop. The clip also shows a second Y-8/9 trailing behind by itself. An additional still image, which looks to be a frame from a separate video showing the same tailless design, has also emerged. Where and when the video or the separate still image were taken is unclear, but what is visible in both has some very broad similarities with one of the designs seen in the June satellite image of Yangfang. For the first time, one of China's tailless CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) UAV/UCAVs has been spotted. — International Defence Analysis (@Defence_IDA) July 20, 2025 As it seems, we maybe have first footage – including a brief video – showing for the first time one of China's CCA UAV/UCAVs accompanied by a Y-8/ the video: via @lyman2003 from Weibo)@HarpiaP — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) July 19, 2025 The possibility has been raised that the recently emerged video and still image may show one of China's two new stealthy crewed combat jets, either the Chengdu J-36 or the Shenyang design referred to variously as the J-XDS and J-50. However, the planform does not directly match that of either of the next-generation fighters, and it also looks to be smaller based on its size relative to the accompanying Y-8/9. Questions have also been raised about whether filters enabled by default on many phone cameras may have 'transformed' an existing aircraft type, like a J-16 fighter, into a 'new' design. This seems especially unlikely given the absence of vertical tails or any artifacts thereof. There are no immediately clear signs of any other kind of manipulation. It is also interesting to note that another next-generation fighter-like airframe or mockup with a modified diamond-like delta platform emerged at Shenyang's main plant earlier this year, as TWZ was first to report. That design does not appear to align with the J-XDS/J-50, but also looks to be longer (roughly 50 feet/15 meters) than any of the possible loyal wingman drones seen in the satellite image of Yangfang. Regardless of what is seen in the June 11 satellite image, as well as the video and still image that more recently emerged, the PLA is very actively pursuing multiple types of loyal wingmen-type drones, and crewed-uncrewed teaming capabilities, in general. The aforementioned GJ-11 UCAV is understood to be a centerpiece of those efforts, but other lower-tier uncrewed designs intended to operate closely with crewed aircraft have also been shown in China in recent years. This includes China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's (CASC) FH-97 and FH-97A, designs at least heavily inspired by the Kratos' XQ-58A Valkyrie and Boeing Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat, respectively. Un passage dans un reportage de CCTV-7 montre la possible collaboration entre un J-20 biplace et des #drones GJ-11 à faible observabilité.La représentativité est à confirmer. — East Pendulum (@HenriKenhmann) October 12, 2022 In addition, the two-seat J-20S stealth fighter is now regularly depicted in official graphics as an airborne drone controller, something TWZ has long highlighted as an ideal role for the aircraft. The KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, based on the Y-9 turboprop, is also often discussed as part of this future crewed-uncrewed air combat ecosystem. The concept, at least, of using H-6 missile carrier aircraft as airborne launch platforms for lower-end tactical uncrewed air vehicles has also been put forward. I suspect there may not be a single dedicated cca/MMUT platform Rather different CCAs for varying roles of ISR/EW and A2A/G combat etchttps:// — Húrin (@Hurin92) July 5, 2025 H-6K drops multiple drones — 彩云香江 (@louischeung_hk) October 12, 2022 Chinese drones initially developed for use in close cooperation with crewed platforms could also operate ever more independently, including in networked swarms, as time goes on. The PLA is actively pursuing advanced autonomous aviation capabilities, driven in part by developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning. More broadly, China continues to cement its position as a global leader in advanced uncrewed aviation developments. In June, TWZ first reported on the emergence of what could be a very large, low-observable, flying-wing, long-endurance unmanned aircraft. Furthermore, the PLA's pursuit of stealthy flying wing UCAVs like the GJ-11 stands in particular contrast to the U.S. military's abandonment of interest in similar capabilities years ago, at least in the unclassified domain. The U.S. Air Force, at least publicly, continues to be outspoken about eschewing UCAVs in favor of less-exquisite, but also lower-cost designs to pair with crewed aircraft. Two so-called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), the General Atomics YFQ-42A and Anduril YFQ-44A, are in development for the Air Force now and are set to fly for the first time this year. The service, as well as other branches of the U.S. military, is expecting to ultimately field multiple CCA types acquired through iterative development cycles. There has also been a recent surge in PLA crewed aviation developments, including the emergence of the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 last December. A new jet-powered airborne early warning and control aircraft, based on the Y-20 cargo plane and referred to as KJ-3000, also emerged that month. The J-20S and a navalized variant of the J-35 stealth fighter also look poised to enter operational service. As the PLA continues to prepare for the upcoming parade in September, new details about ongoing loyal wingman-type drone developments, as well as work on other previously unseen capabilities, may begin to emerge. Contact the author: joe@ Solve the daily Crossword
