Air taxi maker Joby Aviation has partnered with US defence contractor L3Harris Technologies, to develop a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft for possible use by the military.
The companies are focusing on a gas turbine hybrid VTOL design for low-altitude missions.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The aircraft will have the capability to be optionally piloted, allowing for both crewed and fully autonomous operations.
The partnership aims to combine Joby’s expertise in commercial aircraft development and manufacturing with L3Harris’ experience in platform missionisation, including the integration of effectors, sensors, collaborative autonomy and communication systems.
L3Harris integrated mission systems president Jon Rambeau said: “The next generation of vertical lift technology enables long-range, crewed-uncrewed teaming for a range of missions.
“We share a vision with Joby to deliver urgently-required innovation by missionizing VTOL aircraft for defence applications.”
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataFlight testing of the new VTOL aircraft is anticipated to begin in autumn 2025, with the partners aiming to showcase operational capabilities during government exercises scheduled for 2026.
Joby Aviation founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said: “We have worked closely with the Department of Defense over the past decade to give them a front row seat to the development of our dual-purpose technology, and we’re now ready to demonstrate and deploy it.
“Our country depends on companies like ours moving at pace, and we have the team, the technology and the platform to do just that.”
Joby is actively engaged in developing a gas turbine hybrid powertrain for its S4 aircraft platform. The company has also made strides in aircraft-level autonomy following its acquisition of Xwing’s autonomy division in June 2024.
The company has previously demonstrated a hybrid platform under government contract that achieved long ranges, including an industry-first 561-mile hybrid flight in June 2024.
In September 2023, the company delivered the first-ever electric air taxi to Edwards Air Force Base as part of its $131m contract with the US Air Force under the AFWERX Agility Prime programme.
Joby Aviation’s rival, Archer Aviation, reached a similar partnership with weapons maker Anduril Industries in December 2024 to “jointly develop a hybrid VTOL aircraft for critical defence applications targeting a potential program of record from the DoD”.
