The US Air Force will soon begin testing battery-electric aircraft to transport people and cargo. Edwards Air Force Base in California has taken delivery of an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft from Joby Aviation, part of the company’s $131 million contract with the Air Force’s innovation technology arm, AFWERX.
The aircraft can carry the pilot and four passengers, can carry a payload of up to 1,000 pounds, and flies at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. It will perform missions at distances of up to 50 miles, “but the aircraft has the capability to do much more than that,” the official said.
The aircraft could be used to transport critical cargo and spare parts to bases in the Pacific island complexes. The Air Force also plans to expand the number of bases in the Pacific over the next decade.
Electric aircraft won’t replace large transport planes but could be part of the Air Force’s future logistics fleet. The agency is interested in electric aircraft because they are much easier to maintain than conventional aircraft. And since the Joby aircraft was designed to operate in cities it is also very “silent”.
Current electric aircraft batteries don’t allow planes to fly long distances, but he expects batteries to improve over time, just as electric cars have. In addition, the aircraft can be recharged quickly, taking only about seven minutes to fully recharge after a 25-mile mission.
A test plan is being drawn up to see how the Joby aircraft, or eVTOLs in general, could be used for other combat uses. Joby can fly autonomously but the USAF prefers manned flights, without of course ruling out its autonomous use for transport missions.
