Joby demonstrates autonomous flight in USAF’s EX Agile Flag

Californian company Joby Aviation has demonstrated autonomous airborne logistics operations during the US Air Force’s EX Agile Flag 24-3. It used a fully autonomous Cessna 208B Grand Caravan equipped with a suite of technologies developed by Xwing’s autonomy team, acquired by Joby in June of this year.

EX Agile Flag is a bi-annual exercise and part of a certification process for USAF Air Combat Command’s Expeditionary Air Base Force Elements, testing their abilities before a deployment.

During the exercise Joby’s team flew the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan repeatedly for more than 6,275km between military bases and public airports across California and Nevada. The aircraft autonomously transported essential components to restore the operational readiness of various USAF assets, flying between 9 locations in a dynamic operational environment.

The aircraft, while monitored by a safety pilot, completed a fully autonomous taxi, take-off, and landing at each location during the exercise without requiring on-the-ground infrastructure, including numerous sites that had not been previously visited by the aircraft.

Joby Aviation also showcased its ability to remotely supervise the aircraft using a laptop and a satellite communications terminal, both of which are transportable in a single backpack.

 “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,” said Maxime Gariel, Autonomy Lead at Joby. “We look forward to continuing to work with the US 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.”

Earlier this year, the Xwing team participated in ‘Agile Flag 24-1’, a similar exercise, completing more than 4,500km of fully autonomous flight and demonstrating the ability to integrate autonomous aircraft into congested airspace as well as night operations, sloped runways, and landing at airports with no infrastructure.

“The return on investment for the US Air Force with this technology is significant. By using it to handle smaller cargo, we can preserve cargo aircraft for more critical tasks like transporting large parts or engines,” said Col. Max Bremer, Air Mobility Command Special Access Program management officer. “This not only enhances the overall capability of the cargo fleet but also ensures they are used where they are most needed.”

The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan’s autonomous capabilities are enabled by a suite of technologies developed by the Xwing autonomy team, which joined Joby in June 2024, and the aircraft has completed more than 300 fully autonomous flights since 2020.

Joby expects the technology to play an important role in accelerating the execution of existing contract deliverables with the US Department of Defense and expanding the potential for future contracts.