Robot model
Joby S4
Six-tilt-rotor electric aircraft; 5-seat (1 pilot + 4 passengers), 200mph top speed, ~150-mile range; FAA certification in progress.
- Manufacturer
- Joby Aviation
- Form factor
- aerial
- Maturity
- pilot
- Lifecycle
- active
- Deployments
- 2
- Website
- jobyaviation.com ↗
Appears ineVTOL & passenger air mobility
Deploy Watch
Track Joby S4 on Deploy.
We notify you when a verified state change lands on the record, not when the company issues a claim.
Key facts
Product
Certification Status
Vehicle Type
Specs
Range
Range km
Max speed
Speed kmh
Weight kg
Payload kg
Data & sources
Press releases
1
Government records
1
Web sources
1
3 sources backing this record.View all →
Accountability: Joby Aviation has a Claim Integrity of 0% (0 of 1 public claims verified). See the industry ledger.
Pricing
No verified price is on record for Joby S4. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.
Deployments (2)
- Joby S4 at New York, New York, USAannounced
Joby Aviation to begin U.S.
In May 2023, Joby Aviation delivered its first conforming eVTOL aircraft to the United States Air Force under the AFWERX Agility Prime program, at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Joby S4 on the deployment map
Where Joby S4 is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
- delivery and inspection drones in United States →
- delivery and inspection drones in California →
- delivery and inspection drones in Ukraine (combat zones) →
- delivery and inspection drones in Nevada →
- delivery and inspection drones in United Kingdom →
- delivery and inspection drones in China →
- The global deployment map →
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJul 1, 2026
at New York, New York, USA
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 7, 2026
First Piloted eVTOL Air Taxi Flight Between Two Public Airports
- Record createdJun 6, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Price point recordedJun 1, 2025
Not announced
- Price point recordedJan 1, 2025
Not announced
Supply chain (2)
Compute / semiconductor
- NVIDIANVIDIA IGX Thor compute platform (Blackwell architecture) -- autonomous flight compute for Joby Superpilot system: autonomous mission management, sensor fusion, radar and perception processing, predictive system health monitoring. Joby named as only aviation launch partner for IGX Thor.supplies
Actuators & motors
- Toyota Motor CorporationToyota-manufactured powertrain and actuation components (designed by Joby, manufactured by Toyota) -- tilt actuators and key powertrain assemblies for Joby S4 eVTOL. Long-term supply agreement, components delivered to Joby's San Carlos powertrain manufacturing facility.manufactures-for
Suppliers appear here when verified with at least two strong sources (maker-official / IR / regulatory / standards-body / verified tier-2). Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history.
Regulatory filings (4)
- faa_actionfaa action · us_faaactive
- faa_actionfaa action · us_faaactive
- faa_actionfaa action · us_faapending
- faa_actionfaa action · us_faapending
Applicant: Joby Aviation
Safety record
No incidents on record for Joby S4.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Sources (3)
Common questions
- What is Joby S4?
- Six-tilt-rotor electric aircraft; 5-seat (1 pilot + 4 passengers), 200mph top speed, ~150-mile range; FAA certification in progress.
- How much does Joby S4 cost?
- Joby S4's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Joby S4 from Joby Aviation. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
- Is Joby S4 actually deployed in the real world?
- Yes. Joby S4 is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
- What are the specs of Joby S4?
- Joby S4's recorded specifications on the DEPLOY registry: Range: 100 mi; Max speed: 200 mph; Weight: 2400 kg; Payload: 400 kg. See the Specs section for the full sourced set.
- Who makes Joby S4?
- Joby S4 is made by Joby Aviation, based in Santa Cruz, CA, founded in 2009.
- Where is Joby S4 deployed?
- 2 verified deployments of Joby S4 are on the DEPLOY registry, including at New York, New York, USA, Edwards AFB.
- Can you buy Joby S4?
- Joby S4 is in pilot deployments with named customers and is not yet broadly for sale.
- Is Joby S4 FAA certified?
- Joby S4 has 4 regulatory records on the DEPLOY registry: FAA authorization, active; FAA authorization, active; FAA authorization, pending and 1 more. See the Regulatory filings section for each agency source.
- What are alternatives to Joby S4?
- On the DEPLOY registry, comparable aerial robots to Joby S4 include Zipline Platform 2 (P2), Skydio X10, Wing Delivery Aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper.
- How does Joby S4 compare to Zipline Platform 2 (P2)?
- Joby S4 and Zipline Platform 2 (P2) (Zipline · 6 deployments) are both aerial robots on the DEPLOY registry. Joby S4 has 2 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
- Is Joby S4 a top aerial?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Joby S4 ranks in roughly the top 3% of aerial models tracked by the registry.
- What is Joby S4's maturity stage?
- Joby S4 is at the pilot stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Pilot stage means at least one named-customer trial deployment is verified.
- Is Joby S4 safe?
- Joby S4 has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
- When will Joby start commercial passenger flights?
- Joby is targeting passenger air taxi service launch in mid-to-late 2027. The first FAA-conforming aircraft took flight March 11, 2026. Joby plans to scale production to four aircraft per month in 2027. The company is participating in the White House air taxi program for U.S. operations. FAA type certification is the primary remaining barrier.
- How does Joby S4 compare to Archer Midnight?
- Both are eVTOL air taxis targeting FAA type certification. Joby S4 is further along in the FAA certification process, with a conforming aircraft flying since March 2026. Archer Midnight has finalized airworthiness criteria and received a Special Airworthiness Certificate for flight testing. Joby targets commercial service in mid-to-late 2027; Archer targets a similar timeline. Neither has received a type certificate yet.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (2 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-15
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-15
Maturity + lifecycle
Maturity stage: pilot
Lifecycle: active
Architectural position
Cohort: aerial
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- primary-regulatory-filing
- Regulatory filing
- 1
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Joby S4.Recent coverage
Joby S4 in third-party press
Joby Aviation operates first eVTOL flight between 2 US licensed airports
Congress Wants FAA to Simplify Electric Air Taxi Certification
Joby Aviation and Toyota Motor Corporation Launch Initial Phase of a Strategic Manufacturing Alliance to Realize Air Mobility for All
Attention vs reality over time
Media mentions per month (area) against verified deployment events (dots). A press spike over a flat deployment line is the hype gap, drawn over time.
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Joby S4 from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Joby Aviation operates first eVTOL flight between 2 US licensed airports
Joby Aviation completed the first eVTOL flight between two US licensed airports, marking a milestone in commercial air taxi operations.
Congress Wants FAA to Simplify Electric Air Taxi Certification
Congress pushing FAA to simplify eVTOL certification process. Joby and Archer have cleared key gates. Patent fights emerging between Archer and Vertical.
Joby Aviation and Toyota Motor Corporation Launch Initial Phase of a Strategic Manufacturing Alliance to Realize Air Mobility for All
Joby Aviation and Toyota launched the initial phase of their strategic manufacturing alliance to build commercial production capability and prepare for scale-up of electric air…
Joby Aviation (JOBY) Stock Could Be 23% Undervalued After FAA Progress And Production Plans - simplywall.st
<a…
US Electric Air Taxi Inches Closer to Takeoff - Joby completes FAA Stage 4
Joby Aviation completed FAA Stage 4 certification, advancing toward US electric air taxi service launch. Joby and Archer targeting certification in 2026.
Air Taxis Clear the Last Big Hurdle - Joby and Archer targeting summer 2026
Joby and Archer cleared key FAA gates. eVTOL pilot program covers 26 states. US air taxi service could begin summer 2026.
eVTOL Air Taxis: What You Need to Know Before 2026 Ends
Abu Dhabi and Dubai launches in 2026. UK investing nearly 50M for drone and flying taxi tech. Expected trip cost 0-200. US targeting late 2026 commercial launch.
Joby to Begin U.S. Operations in 2026 Under White House Air Taxi Program
Joby Aviation selected as partner in White House-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program with opportunity to begin early operations in 2026 across 10 U.S. states including Arizona,…
Joby Aviation completes first NYC test flight from JFK to Manhattan
Joby Aviation completed first NYC test flight, sending electric air taxi from JFK to Manhattan. Milestone for eVTOL urban operations.
GAO Report: FAA Is Evaluating eVTOL Designs But No Type Certificates Issued as of March 2026
GAO report: As of March 2026, FAA has not issued type certificates for any eVTOL. 14 eVTOL applications using special class airworthiness criteria path. Joby and Archer targeting…
New all-electric aircraft makes test flight in New York City
NYT DealBook: A new all-electric aircraft made a test flight in NYC. Advancing eVTOL and electric aviation in urban environments.
Joby Completes Submission of Stage Three Certification Plans to the FAA
Joby Aviation completed Stage 3 certification plan submissions to the FAA, with all structural, mechanical, and electrical system plans approved for its five-seat eVTOL air taxi.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /models/joby-s4.md
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/models/86cfe12a-2f5c-46ef-8408-217d48643d03
- Revision history: /models/joby-s4/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Video
Reality vs attention
Joby S4 draws attention at the 92nd percentile but verifies reality at the 82nd percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap +9.8, 28th widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Strong recent media coverage and press activity. Thin deployment record; scale validation still in progress.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 23, 2026