Joby Aviation, a developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for air taxi services, has acquired the autonomy division of Xwing Inc., a company specializing in autonomous flight technology. This acquisition strengthens Joby’s position in developing self-flying air taxis. Terms were not announced.
Xwing’s Superpilot software is a well-regarded system in the industry, enabling safe, pilotless flights monitored from the ground. With over 250 autonomous flights and 500 auto-landings completed, Xwing holds the distinction of being the first company to receive approval for large drone certification from the FAA (April 2023) and a military flight release from the Air Force (2024).
This acquisition builds on Joby’s previous investment in autonomous flight technology, following their acquisition of Inras GmbH, a developer of advanced radar sensors, in 2021. Xwing’s expertise in various aspects of autonomous flight systems will be valuable for Joby in achieving both future fully autonomous operations and optimizing current piloted flights. Additionally, the acquisition is expected to streamline existing Department of Defense contracts and open doors for potential future collaborations.
A diverse set of engineers, researchers and technologists from Xwing will now be integrated into Joby where they will focus on the increased automation and autonomy roadmap for the Joby aircraft as well as expanding opportunities to partner with the Department of Defense on technology development.
Xwing’s autonomous flights were completed using a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft, allowing the team to focus on areas such as vision system processing, detect and avoid algorithms, mission management including trajectory planning and real-time updates, decision making, ground control stations, remote operations and the integration of AI and machine learning algorithms.
In early 2024, the aircraft participated in the Air Force’s Agile Flag 24-1 Joint Force exercise, during which it completed daily flights, covering around 2,800 miles and landing at eight public and military airports, demonstrating the ability to integrate autonomous aircraft into the national airspace system.
A military history enthusiast, Richard began at Forecast International as editor of the World Weapons Weekly newsletter. As the Internet grew in importance as a research tool, he helped design the company's Forecast Intelligence Center and currently coordinates the EMarket Alert newsletters for clients. Richard also manages social media efforts, including two new blogs: Defense & Security Monitor, covering defense systems and international issues, and Flight Plan, which focuses on commercial aviation and space systems. For over 30 years, Richard has authored the Defense & Aerospace Companies, Volume I (North America) and Volume II (International) services. The two books provide detailed data on major aerospace and defense contractors. He also edits the International Contractors service, a database that tracks all the contractors involved in the programs covered in the FI library. More recently he was appointed Manager, Information Services Group (ISG), a new unit that encompasses developing outbound content for both Forecast International and Military Periscope.
