Archer Accuses Joby of Hiding China Ties as US Air Taxi Rollout Moves Forward

Archer Aviation, US electric air taxi developer, has accused rival Joby Aviation of hiding ties to China and misleading the US government, adding a new layer to one of the biggest disputes in the air-taxi sector.

Archer filed a countersuit in US federal court, claiming Joby gained an unfair advantage through Chinese-origin materials and undisclosed Chinese government support. Joby rejected the claims and said it would fight them in court.

These are allegations in an active legal case, not proven facts.

What Archer says Joby did

Archer alleges that Joby or its agents misclassified thousands of pounds of Chinese-origin aircraft materials as consumer goods. Archer also claims Joby benefited from Chinese grants and other financial support without properly disclosing how dependent it was on China.

The case is a major escalation from the earlier lawsuit between the companies, which focused on alleged trade-secret theft after a former Joby employee joined Archer.

Both companies are still pushing toward launch

Despite the lawsuit, both companies are still presenting themselves as near-term operators. Joby said it has a path to begin early operations in 2026 in 10 states through the federal pilot program.

Archer said partner projects in Florida, New York, and Texas were also selected and that it expects early Midnight operations in the second half of 2026.

Meanwhile, Joby is also preparing to bring air taxi service to Dubai, showing that the company’s expansion plans are not limited to the US market.

Photo by Svyatoslav Teslyak on Unsplash