Joby, L3Harris partner on hybrid defense craft

Joby Aviation and the Defense Agreement Giant L3 He announced a partnership on Friday, developing a new generation of military crafts that could be controlled or autonomous.

The partnership brings together Joby’s hybrid vertical departure and descent, or VTOL, aircraft and L3’s expertise in military systems and certification.

Companies are waiting to start testing in this fall and then follow operational demonstrations in 2026.

“Conflicts such as Russia, Ukraine, in general, change the ways of thinking about low altitude aviation,” Joby Executive President Paul Scarra told Morgan Brennan from CNBC. “It made you feel important to get something that can move from the demonstration to deployability very quickly.”

Jon Rambeau, President of Integrated Mission Systems in L3harris, said that the project will initially focus on usage such as air surveillance, discovery and controversial logistics practices.

Rambeau told Brennan, “We will not target … See the periodic government exercises of military services and some of these use of these use of this larger exercises.” He said.

The announcement comes as defense expenditures increase, but cheaper and more affordable technologies become a greater priority with the Trump administration forcing for a wider efficiency in federal expenditures.

The US Army is actively working to support autonomous technology in war area operations, adding artificial intelligence with vehicles and drones and bringing several top technology managers as a senior military advisor.

“Branches question whether the right approach to low altitude support is Apaches of 30 million dollars, or whether it is smaller, cheaper and autonomous – questioning whether it has the ability to adapt to flexible loads.” He said.

Companies that can appeal to the commercial market and the army are increasingly interested in the Ministry of Defense to force development on both fronts.

Joby has been working with Pentagon for eight years, and the L3 partnership is the latest evolution of this relationship. The L3’s new military vehicle will be developed with a gas turbine of Joby’s S4 Craft to be released.

Joby is known for electric commercial air taxis. At the end of June, the company delivered the first electric vertical departure and landing or evtol aircraft to the United Arab Emirates, where it was working towards the 2026 launch.

Joby, who is currently working on the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration for his plane, has recently announced the expansion of production and hopes to double in the center of California.

Joby shares increased by more than 100% this year. L3Harris Stock has increased by 30% so far in 2025.