Joby Aviation is teaming up with defense giant L3Harris to develop a gas-turbine hybrid VTOL aircraft for military use.
This new aircraft will be autonomous and based on Joby’s existing S4 platform, which so far has been all-electric. Last year, Joby flew a hydrogen-electric hybrid version under a government contract, reaching 521 miles — double the range of the battery-powered model.
The partnership with L3Harris is exploratory. Flight tests will start this fall, with operational demos slated for 2026. The end goal: a DoD contract. 
Joby’s executive chairman Paul Sciarra emphasized range and mission adaptability as critical for military use.
“One was that range was especially important,” Paul Sciarra told TechCrunch.
“We knew we had to make that shift.”
Sciarra added Joby needed a strong partner with proven tech and defense know-how.
“We have two choices: either build a bunch of this stuff ourselves, or find an incredible partner that already has a deep understanding of those use cases and a ton of proven technology,” he said.
L3Harris will bring its expertise in sensors, autonomy, and communications. Jon Rambeau, L3Harris’ president of Integrated Mission Systems, says the new VTOL tech will support long-range, crewed-uncrewed teaming.
Potential missions include contested logistics, electronic warfare, and counter unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS).
Joby has been working with the DoD for nearly a decade and is also pushing for FAA Type 1 certification on its all-electric urban air taxi.
This deal ramps up Joby’s push beyond commercial air taxis and into military-grade aircraft.
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