Joby expands partnership with U.S. Department of Defense

Electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer Joby Aviation (Santa Cruz, Calif., U.S.) has expanded its existing contract with the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) Agility Prime program, increasing the contract’s potential value by more than $45 million. This is in addition to new developments made with the FAA’s revised eVTOL certification basis, completion of the eVTOL prototype tail section and additional updates with the U.S. Department of Energy (see “Joby Aviation maintains momentum with eVTOL certification, operational and manufacturing readiness”).

Building on more than five years of engagement with defense agencies, the expanded contract leverages Joby’s years of research and technology development in the realm of advanced air mobility (AAM) and will include new testing to evaluate Joby’s advanced technologies. It brings the potential value of the total contract to more than $75 million.

The contract also widens the company’s defense partnerships to include the U.S. Marine Corps, which will participate in government-directed flight tests and use case exploration, including resupply, relocation of personnel and emergency medical response applications.

“As we work toward our goal of launching a passenger ridesharing service, we’re grateful for the support of our defense partners,” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, says. “This extension provides valuable support for our ongoing development efforts and allows our partners to see first-hand the potential for this aircraft in their future concept of operations.”

Joby’s engagement with government partners bolsters the company’s primary goal of launching a commercial passenger service by providing access to testing facilities, early operational experience for government customers and a partial offset to its research and development (R&D) costs.

Moreover, with the expansion of Joby’s contract, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps have all now identified eVTOL aircraft as a critical area of interest.

On August 3, 2022, Joby attended the White House Summit on AAM, which convened industry, government agencies and military personnel to discuss how to advance U.S. leadership in this critical, new technology area.