Electric air taxi developer Archer Aviation filed a countersuit against its rival, Joby Aviation, alleging the company misrepresented the origin of some of its aircraft materials and concealed ties to China.
In the filing in U.S. federal court, Archer alleged that “Joby and/or its agents fraudulently misclassified thousands of pounds of Chinese-origin aircraft materials as consumer goods…in an apparent effort to evade U.S. tariffs and foreign-influence oversight,” Reuters reported.
Joby rejected the claims. Attorney Alex Spiro said the company “doesn’t respond to nonsense,” telling Reuters that “Archer’s constant legal issues and flailing business operations have left it no choice but to resort to invented nonsensical theories.”
The countersuit follows a lawsuit Joby filed in 2025 that alleged Archer obtained confidential company information through a former Joby employee. Joby claimed the employee downloaded internal documents before leaving the company, including information related to aircraft specifications, regulatory strategy and a real estate partnership tied to vertiport development.
Archer denied wrongdoing. Eric Lentell, Archer’s chief legal and strategy officer, said at the time that “Mr. Kivork did not bring any Joby confidential information to Archer,” adding that the company found no evidence of misconduct during its hiring process.
Both companies are developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft intended for passenger and cargo operations and are pursuing FAA certification.
The two eVTOL companies are also among industry participants selected on Monday to work with state and local governments in the FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program. FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau said the initiative will provide operational experience for regulators, stating the partnerships will help the agency “better understand how to safely and efficiently integrate these aircraft into the National Airspace System.”
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