Joby Aviation has completed the first flight of a turbine-electric autonomous demonstrator aircraft, marking a major expansion of the company’s technology roadmap beyond its long-running all-electric air-taxi program. Joby made the announcement on November 13, 2025, revealing that the aircraft flew for the first time on November 7 at its facility in Marina, California. The milestone comes just three months after the company first revealed its hybrid concept and a new development partnership with L3Harris Technologies.
The demonstrator integrates a hybrid turbine powertrain into Joby’s existing electric VTOL platform and is equipped with the company’s SuperPilot autonomous flight technology. Joby says the addition of the turbine generator is designed to deliver greater range and payload capability. The company is positioning the hybrid platform for longer-range air-taxi operations as well as potential sales to defense customers.
Joby unveiled the hybrid concept in August 2025 as part of the partnership with L3Harris. The defense contractor brings experience in missionization, sensors, communications, and collaborative autonomy, and plans to equip the hybrid aircraft for missions such as contested logistics, loyal-wingman operations, and low-altitude support. The US government has identified hybrid and autonomous platforms as a priority and requested more than $9 billion for next-generation aircraft in its 2026 budget.
Rapid development
JoeBen Bevirt, Joby’s founder and CEO, said the quick move from concept to first flight reflects the company’s ability to work at a pace unusual in the defense and aerospace sector. “Our vertical integration puts us in a unique position to deliver on this goal, moving from concept to demonstration — and from demonstration to deployment — at a pace that is unprecedented in today’s aerospace and defense industry,” Bevirt said.
The hybrid aircraft will continue ground and flight testing before Joby and L3Harris begin operational demonstrations with US government customers in 2026. Bevirt said the value of dual-use technology runs both ways, with defense-focused development helping accelerate maturity of Joby’s hybrid and autonomous systems while also opening doors to commercial applications. “In turn, this will help pave the way for commercial applications, from longer-range hybrid VTOL missions to autonomous air operations in commercial airspace,” he said.
L3Harris sees the project as a path to fielding missionized VTOL aircraft for defense requirements. Jason Lambert, President of the company’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance division, said the partnership will help scale commercial VTOL platforms for military use. “The future battlefield relies on unmanned systems augmenting manned platforms,” Lambert said.
Growing orderbook
Joby notes that the hybrid demonstrator builds on its proven all-electric platform, which has amassed more than 50,000 miles of flight testing and has entered the final stage of FAA type certification. The company has also been maturing its SuperPilot autonomous technology for more than five years. In July, Joby participated in the Pentagon’s Resolute Force Pacific (REFORPAC) exercise demonstration in the Pacific, flying a conventional Cessna 208 equipped with its autonomy system for more than 7,000 miles and 40 flight hours from locations in and around Hawaii, overseen from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
The debut of the hybrid platform comes as Joby announced a major international commercial commitment. On November 6, 2025, the company signed a letter of intent with Kazakhstan’s Alatau Advance Air Group covering up to $250 million in eVTOL aircraft and services. The agreement includes pre-delivery payments. Joby also signed an MOU with Kazakhstan’s newly established Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development to work on regulatory frameworks and operations. The initial deployment is planned for the cities of Almaty and Alatau, where a large “smart city” project is underway.
