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While the 1950s and ‘60s had the space race, those developing next-generation aircraft today - along with those investing hefty sums of money behind those trying to do so - hope the 2020s will be remembered as the Great Air Taxi Race.
This week, two of those developers are announcing milestones: Joby Aviation is expanding its production for the US Air Force and Eve Air Mobility is announcing details on its platform to help manage a sky full of eVTOL aircraft that it is naming Vector.
Joby delivering 2 more Air Force Air Taxis
Joby Announced on Tuesday that it will deliver two electric air taxis next year to MacDill Air Force Base as part of an existing contract.
Joby delivered its first aircraft to Edwards Air Force Base in California last September, with a second aircraft expected to be placed on the base this year.
RELATED STORY: Joby delivers first eVTOL to USAF basePersonnel from MacDill, home to the U.S. Special Operations Command ("USSOCOM"), U.S. Central Command ("CENTCOM"), and units from the Air Mobility Command ("AMC"), along with other logistics units, will test and train with the aircraft.
At Edwards, the Joby team is working closely with the 412th Test Wing on testing and experimentation that will inform future testing at MacDill. In all, Joby's Agility Prime contract could provide up to nine aircraft for the Air Force and other federal agencies.
"The early investment and vision by the US government in this critical technology is proving foundational as we continue our path toward commercial passenger service," said Joby CEO and Founder JoeBen Bevirt. "We're grateful to our partners at the Department of Defense for their ongoing support and continued leadership in adopting eVTOL technology. … This work will provide Joby with valuable early operational experience while providing the USAF with (a) firsthand understanding of the performance of our aircraft and its potential applications."
RELATED STORY: Joby becomes first eVTOL developer to complete third stage of FAA certification processLast month, Joby announced it has completed the third of five stages of the type certification process required by the FAA for commercial service.
Eve unveils ‘Vector' traffic software
Embraer's Eve Air Mobility announced on Tuesday that it is naming its software for urban air traffic management (Urban ATM) Vector. While making the announcement at Airspace World in Geneva, developers also gave a progress report.
Dubbed as an "agnostic software solution" for resolving air traffic and network management challenges of advanced air mobility (AAM), overseeing fleet movement and vertiport use, Vector is being developed toward an operational version for customers to try out.
"Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft flights will become an established transportation mode for communities worldwide," said Eve CEO Johann Bordais. "Vector will streamline AAM operations from day one, coordinating all stakeholders involved to enhance safety, optimize performance, and maximize resource usage."
Eve expects first deliveries and entry into service as soon as 2026, which means if their projections hold, as well as those of a host of eVTOL competitors, including Archer, Joby, Beta and Wisk, one could expect the need of software such as Eve's Vector.
RELATED STORY: Eve Air Mobility debuts at Singapore Air ShowIn November, Eve worked with Flexjet on a simulation involving 18 flights across eight aerodromes in the UK, made up of 26 different routes with alternative landing locations. The team also tested delays at departure and destination, simulating airspace congestion, weather issues, in-flight emergencies and the need for alternate landing locations.
From there, Eve says it is now working on fixing gaps between current systems and those needed for the future.
"Flight dispatchers are responsible for nearly all aspects of an operation, which requires extensive decision-making and tracking abilities," said Brenden Hedblom, Eve's head of traffic management solutions. "Eve has been actively incorporating features, including feedback received through user testing, into Vector to ensure the value of its services translates directly to the end users."
So far, 14 customers have signed up for the Vector program, according to Eve, including fleet operators, vertiports and airspace and flow management providers.