Joby Aviation completes first autonomous flight across the United States

The aircraft remained under remote supervision from Joby’s California headquarters and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina throughout the mission. While a pilot occupied the cockpit for regulatory compliance, the company confirmed the flight computer managed every phase of the transit. This cross-country demonstration serves as a proof-of-concept for the firm’s autonomy stack, which is engineered for retrofitting onto conventional airframes to handle medical transport and disaster response.

Joby is now leveraging a $17 million contract with the Air Force’s AFWERX division to accelerate the commercialization of this technology for defense and freight sectors. This expansion follows the acquisition of Ohio-based Resonant Sciences for $500 million, a move that integrated specialized radio frequency and sensor expertise into the company’s defense portfolio. Alongside ongoing partnerships with L3Harris Technologies, Joby is developing gas-turbine hybrid aircraft designed to operate autonomously, marking a significant evolution from its initial focus on passenger-carrying eVTOL vehicles.