Joby delivers electric air taxi to Air Force
Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft developer Joby Aviation announced it has delivered its first air taxi to Edwards Air Force Base in California six months ahead of schedule.
As part of the company’s $131 million contract with the Department of Defense, Joby’s electric air taxi will be flown by U.S. Air Force and Joby pilots to demonstrate logistics missions on base, including cargo and passenger transportation. NASA also plans to use the aircraft to determine how these new aircraft could integrate into the national airspace system. Operations will also include training of Air Force pilots and aircraft maintenance crews, which in turn will provide Joby with operational experience as it prepares to launch commercial passenger operations in 2025.
Joby said in its press release that the electric aircraft “has already begun flying at Edwards AFB” and “is the first electric air taxi to be stationed on a U.S. military base and is believed to be the first delivery of an electric air taxi in the U.S.” (Beta Technologies of Vermont, another company working with the same Air Force Agility Prime program, staked a claim in 2022 to a related superlative: the first eVTOL flight conducted under a military airworthiness certificate.)
The aircraft Joby delivered to the Air Force was the first to be built on Joby’s Pilot Production Line in Marina, California, and will be based at Edwards AFB for at least one year. Charging and other aircraft ground support equipment will be provided by Joby in a purpose-built, on-base facility.
The company says the aircraft has a range of up to 100 miles plus energy reserves, boasts a top speed of 200 mph, and can hold five occupants including the pilots.
Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said, “We’re proud to join the ranks of revolutionary aircraft that first demonstrated their capabilities at Edwards Air Force Base, including the first American jet fighter, the first supersonic aircraft, and many others that have pushed the boundaries of aviation technology.
“The longstanding support of the DOD and NASA has been critical to the rapid development of electric aviation and eVTOL aircraft, and demonstrates how successful public-private partnerships can bring new technology to life at speed. Their work will have profound implications for continued American leadership in both commercial and defense aerospace technology.”
Joby’s history with the DOD started in 2016 when the Defense Innovation Unit granted Joby early funding and access to test areas and assistance in the development of the aircraft.
Maj. Phillip Woodhull, director of the Emerging Technologies Integrated Test Force, said, "The delivery of this first eVTOL aircraft is the start of a new chapter in Edwards’ rich aerospace history. This partners private industry with the 412th Test Wing’s world-renowned test management execution. We are excited to agilely test, experiment with, and evaluate this new technology for potential future national defense applications.”
Joby’s second aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to Edwards AFB in the first part of 2024.
