Joby Extends U.S. Air Force Contract, Bringing Total to $131 Million

Under the agreement, the eVTOL manufacturer will supply USAF with nine Joby electric air taxis.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 05:50 PM ET

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A pair of U.S. Air Force pilots inspect Joby’s eVTOL air taxi before a remotely piloted test flight. [Credit: Joby Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Joby Aviation a $55 million contract extension, bringing the total contract value to approximately $131 million for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
This expanded agreement includes the delivery of nine five-seat Joby air taxis to the Air Force starting next year, making the DoD the primary early adopter of this technology.
The military will utilize these eVTOLs for logistics, personnel and cargo transport, resupply, and emergency medical responses, with Air Force pilots already conducting remote flight operations of Joby aircraft.

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At this point, we’ve all seen the Jetsonian visions of air taxis zipping people to their destinations through the air. But the early users of these services will not be commuters or soccer moms.

Rather, it’ll be the United States Department of Defense. The agency on Tuesday awarded a contract extension to Joby Aviation, one of the leaders in the young air taxi space, through Agility Prime, an initiative designed to get electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft off the ground. Agility Prime falls under AFWERX, the Air Force’s dedicated innovation arm.