US Air Force receives its first all-electric air taxi

The contract included nine aircraft and two air taxis for the Edward Air Force Base in California.

Joby Aviation, the eVTOL manufacturer, has announced the delivery of its first all-electric air taxi to the US Air Force. Joby also claims to be the first company to deliver an electric air taxi to a customer in the entire country – that too, ahead of schedule.

Joby is majorly backed by carmaker Toyota, although it has also received significant funding from companies like Intel and JetBlue. The eVTOL developer has set up its manufacturing base in the state of Ohio, USA.

Earlier this year, the company gained attention when it secured a $131 million contract from the US Department of Defense. The contract included nine aircraft and two air taxis for the Edward Air Force Base in California. The all-electric air taxis were initially expected to be delivered in 2024. The air taxis will be operated by US military pilots as a demonstrator eVTOL for all logistics missions on the base.

Joby also shared that over the past year, both the US Air Force and Marines have made multiple visits to the company’s test flight facilities. The company states that four pilots from the Air Force have already completed full-remotely piloted transition flights. In addition, two groups of Marines have also visited the facility to conduct mission analysis regarding potential logistics and medical applications of the air taxi. Further to this, NASA is also expected to use the air taxi for research in partnership with the Air Force.

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