Joby's years of R&D with the DoD may be paying off. The company has signed an agreement with defense contractor L3Harris to develop a gas-turbine hybrid VTOL that can fly autonomously — for defense applications.

The companies plan to start flight tests this fall and be ready to demonstrate operational capabilities in government exercises by 2026.

L3Harris Technologies Inc. is working with air taxi maker Joby Aviation to develop a new class of aircraft for defensive applications, with flight testing planned for as soon as later this year.