Joby Aviation Achieves Remarkable Milestone with First Flight of Hybrid Electric VTOL
Joby Aviation recently announced the successful completion of the first flight of its turbine-electric, autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) demonstrator aircraft. This significant achievement comes just three months after the concept was unveiled. The inaugural flight took place on November 7 at Joby’s Marina, California facility, marking a substantial expansion beyond the company’s all-electric air taxi program.
The hybrid demonstrator integrates a turbine powertrain with Joby’s existing electric VTOL platform. It also features the company’s SuperPilot autonomous flight technology. Developed in partnership with L3Harris Technologies, the aircraft is designed for defense applications. These include:
- Contested logistics
- “Loyal wingman” operations
- Low-altitude support missions
These applications come with extended range and payload capabilities.
“Our vertical integration puts us in a unique position to deliver on this goal. We are moving from concept to demonstration—and from demonstration to deployment—at a pace that is unprecedented in today’s aerospace and defense industry,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Joby’s CEO and founder. The aircraft will continue testing before operational demonstrations with government customers planned for 2026. The U.S. government has requested more than $9 billion in the FY26 budget for next-generation autonomous and hybrid aircraft platforms.
Source: Joby Aviation Press Release