Joby Aviation conducts first flight of turbine-electric autonomous VTOL aircraft

Summary Points:

• Joby Aviation in Santa Cruz, Calif., completed the first flight of its turbine-electric, autonomous VTOL demonstrator aircraft.
• The aircraft integrates a hybrid turbine powertrain and Joby’s SuperPilot autonomous flight technology for greater range and payload capacity.
• The program builds on a new partnership with L3Harris Technologies in Melbourne, Fla., to adapt the aircraft for defense missions.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Joby Aviation Inc. in Santa Cruz, Calif., announced the first flight of its turbine-electric, autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The demonstrator builds on Joby’s fully electric air taxi platform and integrates a hybrid turbine powertrain with the company’s SuperPilot autonomous flight technology to deliver greater range and payload capability. Potential applications for Joby’s hybrid aircraft include longer-range air taxi services and sales to civilian, commercial, and defense customers.

The start of flight testing comes three months after Joby announced the aircraft concept alongside a new partnership with L3Harris Technologies Inc. in Melbourne, Fla. L3Harris brings expertise in platform missionization, including sensors, effectors, communication, and collaborative autonomy. The company plans to equip Joby’s commercial hybrid aircraft to support defense applications such as contested logistics, loyal wingman operations, and low-altitude support. 

"It's imperative that we find ways to deliver new technology into the hands of American troops more quickly and cost-efficiently than we have in the past," said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and founder of Joby. "Our vertical integration puts us in a unique position to deliver on this goal, moving from concept to demonstration, and from demonstration to deployment, at a pace that is unprecedented in today’s aerospace and defense industry."

Related: Joby Aviation demonstrates autonomous Superpilot technology in Pacific defense exercise

The aircraft completed its first flight at Joby’s facility in Marina, Calif., on 7 November. It will continue ground and flight testing before participating in operational demonstrations with government customers planned for 2026.

Dual use aims

"The magic of dual-use technology is that it creates value in both directions," Bevirt added. "By building on our proven technology stack, our partners can rapidly deliver new capabilities for the Department of Defense while we benefit from advancing the maturity of our hybrid and autonomous systems. In turn, this will help pave the way for commercial applications, from longer-range hybrid VTOL missions to autonomous air operations in commercial airspace."

"The future battlefield relies on unmanned systems augmenting manned platforms, and our partnership with Joby accelerates missionized VTOL aircraft to directly support defense requirements," said Jason Lambert, president of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance at L3Harris. "L3Harris has delivered thousands of missionized aircraft, and our focus is scaling rapidly to bring these commercial VTOL aircraft to the fight."

The hybrid aircraft builds on Joby's all-electric platform that has logged more than 50,000 miles of flight testing and entered the final stage of the FAA’s type certification process for commercial aircraft. Joby’s SuperPilot autonomous flight technology has been in development for more than five years, and in July, the company successfully participated in REFORPAC, a Department of Defense exercise over the Pacific Ocean. Using a conventional Cessna 208 aircraft, Joby logged more than 7,000 miles of autonomous operations across 40 flight hours in and around Hawaii, managed primarily from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, more than 3,000 miles away.

The aircraft’s turbine-electric propulsion provides longer range and extended hold times necessary for critical multi-role missions, including loyal wingman operations and contested logistics support. Its precise vertical maneuverability allows it to operate effectively from forward and remote locations where traditional runway infrastructure is unavailable.