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) is spearheading the adoption of air taxis, extending its contract with Joby Aviation to integrate electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft into military operations.
Joby Aviation's contract with the DoD now totals approximately $131 million, including the delivery and operation of nine five-seat electric air taxis for the Air Force starting next year.
These eVTOL aircraft will be the first air taxis stationed at a military base, demonstrating crucial logistics use cases such as passenger and cargo transport, resupply, and emergency medical responses.
Air Force pilots have already achieved significant operational milestones, successfully conducting remote test flights of Joby's air taxis, demonstrating the aircraft's readiness and advancing the program.

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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.