Joby’s massive hydrogen-powered UAV breaks cover with unannounced 9-hour flight
July 12, 2025
A secretive hydrogen-powered drone developed by Joby Aviation has been spotted undergoing testing in Oregon, marking a possible new direction for the electric aviation firm best known for its passenger eVTOL ambitions.
The aircraft, referred to as the JAI 30, was first identified in a detailed investigative report published by Hunterbrook Media on July 11.
The outlet, who situated a reporter in a hotel room with a view of the hangar, described the aircraft as “squat and bulbous, almost egg-like, yet balanced by gracefully extended wings.”
Joby has not publicly revealed the JAI 30 or confirmed its existence. However, it did register an aircraft by that name, with a tail number corresponding to the test aircraft seen in Oregon, in April this year.
Joby JAI 30 completes a 9 hour flight
Industry watchers were alerted to a flurry of activity out of Pendleton in Oregon in early July. An unknown aircraft took off and flew for more than nine hours, followed closely on tracking websites by curious onlookers.
🚨 $JOBY The unknown aircraft N30FR completed a flight on 30 Jun..+9 HOURS LONG! 🚨 This was done near Pendleton Airport in Oregon. I speculated it was a USAF related contract yesterday before seeing this. The Army National Guard are located there & particularly operate Chinook… pic.twitter.com/4CYwZtF02z
— Waggs181.eth (@ChrisWaggoner2) July 2, 2025
Following the flight, the tracking data was removed at Joby’s request, but observers had seen enough.
A nine-hour flight in a hydrogen-powered fixed-wing aircraft is impressive, though it falls short of the 30-hour record set by China’s AVIC earlier this year.
However, AVIC’s platform is ultra lightweight, whereas Hunterbrook describes Joby’s as ‘massive.’ They say it’s at least an order of magnitude larger than the AVIC model.
Exclusive from @hntrbrkmedia: Joby’s ($JOBY) new long-range hydrogen-powered UAV has broken cover in eastern Oregon.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 11, 2025
The large UAV, registered as the JAI 30, has already completed at least one H2-powered flight, where it remained airborne for over 9 hours. pic.twitter.com/0T4xqdBf8y
Joby’s dalliance with hydrogen technologies
Joby’s possible pivot toward hydrogen-powered autonomous systems is not without precedent.
The California-based company acquired German hydrogen-electric aviation startup H2FLY in 2021 and took over Xwing’s autonomy division in 2024.
However, these strategic moves had been understood as laying the groundwork for regional air mobility solutions, not necessarily UAVs.
The aircraft’s appearance also raises questions about potential military applications. Joby is a participant in the US Air Force’s Agility Prime programme and has delivered test aircraft to Edwards Air Force Base.
A long-endurance, zero-emission UAV would likely attract attention from the Pentagon for logistics, surveillance, or forward-operating missions.
No official statement has been issued by Joby regarding the JAI 30, and the company did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
