Archer and Anduril unveil Thunder autonomous attack rotorcraft

Jiangte Motor announced on September 7, 2026 that its cooperation with the Shanghai Pudong New Area Academician and Expert Workstation Federation and academician teams has made progress. The parties held a project launch signing ceremony in Yichun, Jiangxi, reaching a series of agreements on the industrialization of electric propulsion systems for low-altitude aircraft. Specific progress includes: the establishment of the Low-Altitude Economy Collaborative Innovation Research Institute is advancing in an orderly manner; plans to jointly invest in a joint venture company through its wholly-owned subsidiary Jiangte High-Tech, the technical team, and Shanghai Guoke Shangfei Aviation Technology, with Jiangte Motor holding a 70% stake; launching the Yichun low-altitude flight camp project; and releasing a self-developed 800kg-class heavy-lift multi-rotor UAV high-voltage direct-drive power system, suitable for emergency rescue, energy infrastructure, low-altitude logistics and other scenarios. The company stated that the above matters are still in the startup stage, have not generated revenue, and will not affect this year's performance, and cautioned that there are uncertainties in the establishment of the research institute and industrialization company, product airworthiness certification, and market expansion.

Archer Aviation's shares have surged over 36% in the past month, driven by its acquisition of Boeing's Wisk Aero, SkyGrid, and Insitu units, which will give Boeing a nearly 20% stake in the company. The deal combines autonomy, eVTOL, and uncrewed aircraft capabilities into an end-to-end physical AI platform for aerospace and defense, and adds profitable drone maker Insitu, which generates over $200 million in annual revenue. Additional catalysts include the successful test flight of its Midnight aircraft and Cathie Wood's ARK buying 940,434 shares worth about $4.97 million. However, the company's financials remain weak, with Q2 revenue of only $5 million and a net loss of $263.2 million, while cash burn of $215.3 million per quarter leaves less than two years of runway. Despite the momentum, the stock is down 19% year-to-date, and the deal is expected to close by the end of 2026.