(Reuters) -Defense firm L3Harris Technologies is working with air taxi maker Joby Aviation to develop a vertical take-off and landing aircraft for defense applications, the companies said on Friday.
Flight testing for the new military-grade version of Joby’s VTOL aircraft is planned for fall 2025, with operational demonstrations expected in 2026.
Joby’s gas turbine hybrid VTOL aircraft is designed for low-altitude missions and offers both piloted and fully autonomous flying.
“The next-generation of vertical lift technology enables long-range, crewed-uncrewed teaming for a range of missions,” said Jon Rambeau, president of Integrated Mission Systems at L3Harris.
Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt said the company has been working with the Department of Defense over the past decade to develop aircraft with dual-purpose technologies, including a gas turbine hybrid powertrain for its current S4 aircraft platform.
The Joby S4 is an electric VTOL aircraft designed as an air taxi for urban air mobility, that can carry one pilot and four passengers.
(Reporting by Aatreyee Dasgupta in Bengaluru)
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