Company Demonstrates Capabilities of Technology In Agile Flag 24-3

Joby Aviation announced in late August that it successfully demonstrated autonomous aircraft operations with the U.S. Air Force. The aircraft completed fully autonomous tasks over 9 locations during the ‘Agile Flag 24-3’ exercise.

Joby Aviation is a California-based transportation company. In June, it acquired Xwing’s autonomy division, permitting it to further develop autonomy technology. They intend to continue building next-gen tech while executing their contract with the U.S. Department of Defense.

Earlier this year, Xwing participated in the USAF’s ‘Agile Flag 24-1’ exercise, in which they demonstrated over 2,800 miles of fully autonomous flight. They also completed challenges with congested airspace, night flight, sloped runways, and landings at airports with no additional infrastructure.

In the ‘Agile Flag 24-3’ exercise, Joby operated a fully autonomous Cessna 208B Grand Caravan equipped with several Xwing technologies. It “transported essential components,” Joby explained, through military bases and public airports across California and Nevada. The grand total was over 3,900 miles.

The exercise demonstrated the aircraft’s ability to complete fully autonomous taxi, take-off, and landing at 9 different locations, including some that it had not previously visited. The aircraft was ‘monitored’ by an onboard safety pilot and by a laptop and satellite communications terminal on the ground.

“We were pleased to continue demonstrating the capabilities of our autonomy technology during Agile Flag 24-3, where we completed dozens of fully autonomous aerial missions and showcased an ability to perform rapid resupply,”  stated Maxime Gariel, the Autonomy Lead at Joby. “We look forward to continuing to work with the U.S. Air Force as we further develop the suite of technologies that could enable greater automation or full autonomy, first on the Caravan and then on numerous other aircraft types.”

FMI: www.jobyaviation.com