White House Order Boosts US Drone, eVTOL Industry; Archer, Joby, Others Rise Premarket

Archer Aviation , Joby Aviation , Vertical Aerospace , and Blade Air Mobility shares gained in premarket trading following the executive order from the White House on Friday directing federal agencies to expand drone and electric aircraft operations in US airspace.

The order instructs the US Transportation Department to propose new rules within 30 days to permit drones to operate beyond the visual line of sight for commercial and public safety uses. A final rule is expected within 240 days, according to the order posted on the White House website.

It also calls for the use of artificial intelligence to speed up drone waiver approvals and requires the US Federal Aviation Administration to update its national airspace integration roadmap within eight months.

The order establishes a pilot program to support early deployment of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, with at least five projects to be selected this year. Selected initiatives must include a US-based partner and begin operations shortly after approval, according to the order.

Archer Aviation rose 12%, Joby Aviation gained 9%, Vertical Aerospace was up 13%, and Blade Air Mobility added 12%.