Joby hybrid turbine-electric air taxi makes first flight; gov demos set for 2026

Joby hybrid turbine-electric air taxi makes first flight; gov demos set for 2026

The aircraft flew at Joby’s Marina, California, facility on Nov. 7—just three months after the hybrid concept was unveiled.

Joby logs first flight of hybrid VTOL aircraft

Joby Aviation flew its autonomous hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing demonstrator for the first time last week, the company announced today, completing the feat roughly three months after it initially revealed the aircraft’s concept. The unmanned platform will be produced by Joby primarily for commercial applications, but a militarized version -- equipped for contested logistics, teaming operations with manned aircraft and low-altitude…

Joby Hybrid Aircraft Goes From Concept to First Flight in 3 Months

When electric aircraft developer Joby Aviation in August unveiled its concept for a hybrid-powered, optionally piloted variant of its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) S4 air taxi, it predicted first flight before the end of 2025. Ultimately, that milestone took just three months. Joby on Thursday said a demonstrator aircraft—an S4 integrated with a turbine-electric powertrain and the company’s proprietary autonomy system—made its ma…

Joby Celebrates First Flight of Turbine Electric Demonstrator Aircraft