Joby, L3Harris partner on hybrid defense craft that can be piloted or autonomous

Joby Aviation and defense manufacturing giant L3Harris announced a partnership Friday to develop a next-generation military craft that can be piloted or fly autonomously.

The partnership brings together Joby’s hybrid vertical take-off and landing, or VTOL, aircraft and L3’s expertise in military systems and certification.

The companies expect to begin testing this fall, followed by operational demonstrations in 2026, according to the release.

“Conflicts like Russia, Ukraine, are really changing how people think about, you know, low altitude aviation generally,” Joby executive chairman Paul Sciarra told CNBC’s Morgan Brennan. “Getting something out there that can move very quickly from demonstration to deployability felt especially important.”

Jon Rambeau, president of Integrated Mission Systems at L3Harris, said initially the project will focus on use cases like airborne surveillance, reconnaissance and contested logistics applications.

“We’re going to target … the broader government exercises that the military services hold periodically, and see if we can fit some of those use cases into those larger exercises,” Rambeau told Brennan.

The announcement comes as government spending is under scrutiny and the U.S. military works to bolster the technology in battlefield operations, adding artificial intelligence with autonomous vehicles and drones.

“I think the branches are questioning whether or not you know the right approach for low altitude support is, you know, $30 million crude Apaches, or whether or not it’s something that is smaller, cheaper and autonomous — it has the ability to adapt to flexible payloads,” Sciarra said.

Joby is known for its commercial air taxis, which are electric. The company delivered its first electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft to the United Arab Emirates at the end of June, where it is working toward a 2026 launch.

The new military vehicle with L3, based on Joby’s S4 craft, will be developed with a gas turbine, according to the release.

Joby, which is still working on Federal Aviation Administration approval for its aircraft, recently announced an expansion of manufacturing and hopes to double production at its California hub.

Shares of Joby are up more than 100% this year. L3Harris stock is up 30% so far in 2025.