Joby Aviation’s Hybrid Turbine-Electric VTOL Achieves First Flight
On November 7, 2024, Joby Aviation marked a significant milestone with the successful completion of the first flight of its groundbreaking turbine-electric, autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) demonstrator aircraft. This event took place at its Marina, California facility, a mere three months after the company unveiled its hybrid concept. This innovative concept was developed in partnership with L3Harris Technologies, with a focus on defense applications.
The hybrid aircraft is an enhancement of Joby’s tried-and-tested all-electric S4 platform. The S4 platform, currently in the final stage of FAA Type Certification, has already clocked over 50,000 miles of flight testing. The new variant incorporates a turbine-electric powertrain, designed to offer superior range and payload capability compared to the standard electric version, which has a range of 130 nautical miles.
One of the standout features of the demonstrator is Joby’s SuperPilot autonomous flight technology. This system, which has been under development for over five years, was successfully put to the test during the Pentagon’s REFORPAC exercise in July. During this exercise, an autonomous Cessna 208 recorded over 7,000 miles of operations across 40 flight hours around Hawaii. The hybrid platform is poised for use in both military applications and longer-range commercial air taxi operations, with operational demonstrations slated for 2026.
Source: www.flyingmag.com/joby-hybrid-aircraft-concept-to-first-flight