Overview
- Jacksonville Aviation Authority Chief Operating Officer Tony Cugno told a City Council committee that Otto has set internal targets of a first Phantom 3500 flight in 2027, breaking ground on a manufacturing facility in 2028, and starting production around 2030.
- The city issued a $12.1 million permit to renovate a 59,000‑square‑foot hangar at Cecil Airport for research, development and experimental aircraft assembly to support planned flight testing.
- Those dates are company targets reported by JAA and remain conditional on flight test results and formal Federal Aviation Administration certification.
- Otto previously announced plans to move its headquarters from Fort Worth to Jacksonville and to eventually build more than 600,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space in the area.
- If the program advances, Jacksonville could see new aerospace jobs and supplier activity, with the next milestones to watch being the 2027 flight tests, FAA certification progress, and the 2028 construction permitting process.