Overview
- Joby Aviation completed the first flight of a hybrid-electric VTOL demonstrator on Nov. 7 at its Marina, California facility.
- The aircraft adapts Joby’s all-electric S4 with a gas turbine hybrid powertrain to deliver the range required for military missions.
- Under an agreement with L3Harris, the platform will be missionized and equipped with Joby’s SuperPilot autonomy for autonomous or piloted roles, with operational demonstrations planned for next year.
- The U.S. Air Force has indicated that all-electric eVTOLs lack sufficient range for many missions, reinforcing interest in hybrid platforms.
- Separately, Joby signed an MoU with Saudi Arabia’s GACA to accelerate commercial air taxi deployment in the Kingdom using FAA certification standards.