Joby Aviation’s 3,100-mile autonomous flight signals its push beyond electric air taxis

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  "detected_at": "2026-09-18T17:26:41+00:00",
  "company": {
    "name": "Joby Aviation",
    "domain": "jobyaviation.com"
  },
  "data": {
    "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/18/joby-aviations-3100-mile-autonomous-flight-signals-its-push-beyond-electric-air-taxis/",
    "title": "Joby Aviation’s 3,100-mile autonomous flight signals its push beyond electric air taxis",
    "author": "Kirsten Korosec",
    "excerpt": "An aircraft equipped with Joby Aviation’s autonomy technology flew more than 3,100 miles across the United States without a human pilot taking control at any point, the company said Friday. The flight not only demonstrated the capabilities of Joby’s autonomy tech, but also showed that the company’s ambitions extend well beyond its pursuit of electric air taxis. Joby said the autonomous aircraft it’s not done yet, and will make its way back to the West Coast with stops in various cities, including Louisville, Kentucky, and Salt Lake City, over the next two weeks. Joby Aviation said the cross-country trip, which it described as the “first-ever autonomous flight across the United States,” included autonomous taxiing, takeoffs, navigation, and landings. The aircraft was remotely supervised from Joby’s headquarters in California and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. A pilot was on board for compliance, but Joby said the aircraft performed the entire operation autonomously. Joby, which used a converted Cessna Caravan aircraft for the trip, said the flight demonstrated that its autonomy technology could handle different environments and missions, including medical transport, disaster response, and defense logistics. It also showcased the potential for a second business for Joby, which is best known for developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for an...",
    "summary": "Joby Aviation signed an agreement with defense contractor L3Harris Technologies to explore opportunities for developing a new class of gas-turbine hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft for defense applications.",
    "planning": false,
    "image_url": "https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Joby-autonomy-Tour.jpg?resize=1200,633",
    "confidence": 0.8,
    "published_at": "2026-09-18T17:26:41Z",
    "article_sentence": "Last year, Joby signed an agreement with defense contractor L3Harris Technologies to “explore opportunities” to develop a new class of aircraft - specifically, a gas-turbine hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft that can fly autonomously - for defense applications.",
    "related_company_name": "L3Harris Technologies",
    "related_company_domain": "l3harris.com"
  }
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