Joby Aviation Tests Autonomy Technology on Cross-Country Flight, Reports Say

An aircraft equipped with autonomy technology developed by Joby Aviation flew approximately 3,100 miles across the United States without a human pilot taking control at any point during the journey, TechCrunch reported.

The flight is described by the outlet as a signal of the company’s ambitions beyond its core business of developing electric air taxis, suggesting a broader push into autonomous flight systems that could be applied to other aircraft and missions.

Joby Aviation, a California-based company known for its work on electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft intended for urban air taxi services, has been developing autonomy capabilities alongside its piloted air taxi programs, according to the report.

Details on the specific aircraft used, the route flown, and the timeline of the flight were not fully outlined in the available report. TechCrunch did not specify what role, if any, a human pilot played on board during the flight beyond not taking manual control.

The report frames the milestone as part of a broader industry trend in which companies developing electric and autonomous aircraft are looking to expand their technology into additional use cases, including defense and logistics applications, beyond passenger transport.

Further details about the specific autonomy systems used, regulatory oversight of the flight, or Joby’s future plans for the technology were not immediately available.