Joby Aviation has reached a significant milestone in its long-standing partnership with the US Department of Defense by delivering its first Joby JAS4-1 eVTOL aircraft (N5421A) to the US Air Force for military evaluation and flight testing. The aircraft was delivered at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where a maintenance shelter for Joby’s electric air taxi was inaugurated. This marks the first delivery of a “powered-lift” eVTOL aircraft to a customer worldwide.
The aircraft was manufactured at Joby’s facility in Marina Municipal Airport, California, and received its airworthiness certificate in June 2023. Joby plans to scale up its production at a new factory to be built at Dayton International Airport in Ohio, as announced on September 18, 2023.
This delivery signals the next phase in Joby’s collaboration with AFWERX’s Agility Prime, a program initiated by the US Air Force to accelerate the development of the commercial electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft industry. Agility Prime started as a collaborative effort to provide financial and material support to private companies for flight testing and aircraft development.
Joby has been a beneficiary of this program, having received substantial funding from the USAF agency, making it the largest contract value in the industry. Joby’s involvement with the US Department of Defense dates back to 2017 when it received its first DOD research and development contract.
The Edwards Air Force Base, where the delivery and testing occurred, has a rich history of military aviation development, including the testing of the first jet aircraft in the United States.
The long collaboration
Joby has a history of collaboration with NASA, having supported various research projects, such as the Leading Edge Asynchronous Propeller Technology (LEAPTech) wing development project, which contributed to the development of electric aircraft technology.
The Joby tilt-propeller aircraft will undergo evaluation for logistics missions, with a joint military-civilian team overseeing the testing. Additionally, NASA pilots and researchers will begin testing the aircraft in 2024, focusing on air traffic management, flight procedures, and ground-based infrastructure.
The Agility Prime program has allowed the US Air Force to deepen its understanding of eVTOL technology and refine potential use cases. This includes remotely operated flights with eVTOL aircraft like the Kitty Hawk Heaviside and crewed flights with the Beta Alia-250.
Joby Aviation has been involved in the eVTOL industry for several years and played a pivotal role in the development and testing of electric aircraft technology, culminating in the recent delivery of its eVTOL aircraft to the US Air Force for military evaluation and testing.
