MARINA – Joby Aviation recently delivered its third aircraft prototype from its pilot production line in Marina and expects 4 more aircraft to enter energetic flight testing later this yr.
The aerospace company has developed and produced an electrical air taxi able to carrying a pilot and 4 passengers at speeds of as much as 320 km/h, offering high-speed mobility with a fraction of the noise of helicopters and 0 operating emissions.
Joby has been operating in Marina for about seven years and is constructing a producing facility there. The company has begun producing its aircraft there at its pilot production plant, with the primary aircraft set to roll off the road in June 2023. The Marina facility is one among three in California, with others positioned in Santa Cruz – where the corporate is headquartered – and San Carlos. Joby Aviation also has a facility in Munich, and selected Dayton, Ohio, as the placement for its latest manufacturing facility in September last yr.
In March, the corporate announced the acquisition of an existing facility at Dayton International Airport, where it has begun hiring staff to support its initial operations. The facility Joby is acquiring will likely be equipped to support its initial production operations in Dayton, that are expected to start later this yr. The facility will likely be used to fabricate aircraft parts to support Joby's pilot production line in Marina.
The backdrop for the ceremonial laying of the muse stone was the second series prototype aircraft that rolled off the corporate's pilot production line.
Joby's pilot production line in Marina, currently positioned in its “mega tent” at Marina Airport, is specifically designed to assist Joby learn manufacturing and optimize its manufacturing processes to provide larger volumes.
The aerospace company has testing facilities including an integrated test laboratory and flight test facilities at Marina. With the groundbreaking of its latest facility on the airport, Joby will significantly increase the production capability of its pilot production line.
The news of the third production prototype rolling off the pilot production line in Marina got here as the corporate released its second quarter 2024 shareholder letter, highlighting its “strong financial foundation” because it reported a robust balance sheet with $825 million in money and short-term investments at the tip of the second quarter.
Other highlights of the second quarter of 2024 include ramping up production, in line with the corporate, as the corporate expects to have 4 aircraft in energetic flight test within the third quarter of this yr, with the second production prototype currently in flight test and the third just rolled off the production line. Joby's certification process is within the fourth of 5 phases of type certification and is now 37% complete on the corporate side, with quite a few test plans submitted and accepted through the quarter. Joby expects progress within the fourth phase to speed up throughout the rest of 2024.
As a part of its international expansion, Joby has applied for certification in Australia and signed a memorandum of understanding with Mukamalah, an entirely owned subsidiary of Saudo Aramco and operator of the world's largest fleet of business jets, to introduce the Joby aircraft to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through direct sales. Joby's future technologies included the 561-mile flight of a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-powered air taxi demonstrator and the acquisition of the autonomy division of Xwing, an industry leader in the event of autonomous technology for aviation.
Originally published:
image credit : www.mercurynews.com