Santa Cruz, CA – September, 2025 — Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) has successfully completed a first-of-its-kind demonstration of its Superpilot™ autonomous flight technology as part of the Resolute Force Pacific (REFORPAC) exercise led by Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The trial saw Joby log more than 7,000 miles of autonomous operations and over 40 flight hours across the Pacific Ocean and Hawaii.
Flights were coordinated through ground control stations at multiple sites, including Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, located more than 3,000 miles away. A safety pilot was onboard to monitor system performance.
The exercise highlighted Superpilot’s potential to support the U.S. government’s need for light intra-theater airlift while also advancing Joby’s commercial air taxi platform. The Department of Defense has requested $9.4 billion in its FY26 budget for the development of autonomous and hybrid aircraft.
“The exercise demonstrated Superpilot’s ability to operate in complex, real-world scenarios with the precision and reliability demanded by the U.S. government,” said Greg Bowles, Chief Policy Officer at Joby. “This is a testament to our decade-long collaboration with the Department of Defense and a significant step toward deploying our dual-use technologies in the field.”
Lt. Col. Jonathan Gilbert, AFWERX Prime division chief, added: “REFORPAC was an opportunity to demonstrate the technology in a realistic environment and highlight the potential impact of these autonomous systems. The lessons learned are vital as we continue development of affordable technologies that support the needs of our Airmen.”
The U.S. Air Force currently faces challenges in supporting low-volume, high-risk deliveries across large operational theaters. The REFORPAC validation confirmed that a light cargo aircraft fitted with Superpilot can meet this requirement, while freeing larger aircraft for other missions.
Integrated into a Cessna Caravan 208 platform, Superpilot completed six sorties covering 2,416 miles, including 14 flight hours, as well as a roundtrip ferry mission of 4,925 miles across the Pacific. Missions demonstrated included rapid cargo delivery, hub-and-spoke logistics, inter-island transport, ISR profiles, and dynamic retasking. Operations spanned all airspace classes under both visual and instrument flight rules.
Joby acquired Xwing Inc.’s autonomy division in June 2024, accelerating the development of Superpilot for both defence and commercial use. The REFORPAC exercise is seen as a pivotal step toward deploying these capabilities in real-world missions.
SOURCE AND IMAGE: JOBY AVIATION
