Joby Aviation became the first company from the emerging eVTOL aircraft sector to deliver an electric air taxi to the U.S. Air Force. The aircraft was delivered to Edwards Air Force Base in California-the first electric air mobility arrival for the groundbreaking base. Even more amazingly, this happened six months prior to when many observers said they would reach that milestone at some point in 2024.
This new plane, by Joby Aviation, is going to revolutionize urban air mobility and transport. It is a great leap in aviation technology, with much more sustainability, considering that it is fully electric, zero-emission, and with much less noise pollution compared to traditional aircraft.
The partnership with the U.S. Air Force is part of the $131 million AFWERX Agility Prime contract. The work Joby has performed in relation to this project has thus far enabled it to gain the highest preproduction eVTOL contract value, at $163 million. It shall make use of the collaboration in order to explore the potential usage of its electric air taxis for military and logistic missions.
The electric air taxi will be stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, becoming the first to sit on a U.S. military base anywhere. While on base, the aircraft will also be taking part in various missions, from transporting cargo to passengers. These missions are in collaboration between Joby and the U.S. Air Force and further expand the breadth of operations possible with this new technology.
Not only that, but NASA also will take part in the project for research purposes using the aircraft. NASA’s contribution will be to study how electric air taxis can fit inside the national airspace and what benefits it can bring to the general air taxi business.
Beyond the operating capabilities of the electric air taxi itself, the partnership will also include training for U.S. Air Force pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel. It is all part of an overall approach to get the U.S. Air Force acquainted with flying such advanced technology.
Joby Aviation is fairly ambitious, as commercial passenger services are expected to start in 2025. This puts the company in league with its plans for a state-of-the-art aircraft production facility near Dayton International Airport. Valued at as much as $500 million and abetted by substantial state and local incentives, it is forecasted to create up to 2,000 jobs while producing up to 500 aircraft annually.
This historic partnership between Joby Aviation and the U.S. Air Force accelerates not just the development of electric air mobility but also underlines the game-changing potential of this technology to change the way we travel and transport goods. Electric air taxis, when they become common, could ease congestion, reduce emissions, and generally improve efficiency in transportation to sculpt a more sustainable and connected future.