Joby Aviation appears to have flown a hydrogen-powered uncrewed aerial system (UAS) for nine hours straight during a June 30 mission at the Pendleton UAS Range near Eastern Oregon Regional Airport (KPDT).
According to FlightAware ADS-B data—publicly available for a short time before Joby requested to be removed—an aircraft registered to Joby with the tail number N30FR was flying in circles about 2 miles northwest of KPDT from 10:46 a.m. to 7:54 p.m. on June 30. FlightAware’s data, screenshots of which were shared on social media, suggests the aircraft covered 467 miles, flying at an average speed of approximately 51 mph.
FAA records indicate that Joby registered N30FR on April 22, and the aircraft’s model is JAI30, with serial number 001. Joby has not said anything publicly about the JAI30, but according to the FAA registry, it’s a fixed-wing, multi-engine aircraft with an electric propulsion system.
Photos of N30FR captured by an investigative journalist with Hunterbrook Media show the aircraft parked outside a hangar at KPDT, surrounded by a team of crew members near what appears to be a hydrogen tank. The aircraft appears to be about the size of Joby’s eVTOL prototype, with a similar V-shaped tail but no vertical lift propellers mounted on the fixed wing.
Pictured behind the aircraft is a trailer emblazoned with an Xwing logo. The trailer appears to be the same mobile mission control center that Xwing has been using to test remotely piloted and autonomous flight operations with experimental, modified Cessna Grand Caravans for several years. Joby acquired Xwing in June 2024 and inherited several of Xwing’s defense contracts. It’s unclear whether Joby’s activities at KPDT are related to any of its existing defense contracts.