Joby Receives Additional U.S. Air Force Funding for Autonomous Flight Work

Joby Aviation said on November 4, 2026, that it received additional U.S. Air Force funding for autonomous-flight work. The company said the funding will support further development of its autonomy software and operational testing in the Pacific.

Key details

• Reported U.S. Air Force funding commitments to Joby for this work total nearly $37 million.
• The reported contract ceiling is $50 million, with work expected to continue through March 1, 2029.
• In September 2026, Joby’s autonomous Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operated in 24 states and landed in 11 during a 6,665-mile tour.
• Joby described a 3,199-mile flight from Concord, California, to North Carolina as a fully autonomous coast-to-coast crossing. The company said the onboard safety pilot made no control inputs.
• Ground-based operators supervised some flights from as far as 2,537 miles away.
• The tour included North Carolina’s eLIFT-NC healthcare-logistics initiative and Utah’s uFLY coalition.

Joby’s autonomous Cessna 208B Grand Caravan covered 6,665 miles during a September 2026 tour.

Why it matters

The cross-country tour put Joby’s autonomous Cessna 208B to work across multiple states and included two regional logistics initiatives. Joby’s reported testing also extends to U.S. Air Force exercises, including Resolute Force Pacific in 2025.