Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) has revealed it has begun testing the production version of its upcoming air taxi amid a partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Production Version Of Air Taxi Revealed

In an official statement on Wednesday, the company revealed that the air taxi has begun its flight testing for the first FAA-conforming aircraft for Type Inspection Authorization (TIA), which is a major step towards type certification.

"Seeing this aircraft fly means everything to our team. It's the validation of years of hard work and marks our entry into the final phase of bringing this aircraft to market," Joby's President of Aircraft OEM, Didier Papadopoulos, said in the statement.

In the statement, the company also shared that it plans to deliver over 500 aircraft per year following the acquisition of a new 700,000 square-foot facility in Dayton, Ohio, to support plans of expanding production to 4 aircraft per month.

Joby Vs Archer Aviation Lawsuits

The news comes as Joby was hit by a countersuit filed by Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE:ACHR), which accused Joby of hiding its ties to China as a means to “evade U.S. tariffs and foreign-influence ⁠oversight.”

An attorney representing Archer said that the company had filed the suit to "ensure accountability, restore fair competition, and safeguard the strategic future of American advanced aviation."

Joby, on the other hand, had filed a theft of trade secrets lawsuit against Archer last November. "Archer’s ludicrous and defamatory claims are nothing more than an irresponsible attempt to distract from Joby’s trade secret theft lawsuit proceeding against Archer," an attorney for Joby responded to Benzinga.

Joby's FAA Partnership

Joby also announced it was partnering with the FAA and participating in the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). The program would enable the company to begin operations in 2026 in 10 states across the U.S.

Interestingly, Cathie Wood-led investment firm ARK Invest bought over 27,759 shares of the company via ARK’s Autonomous Technology and Robotics ETF (BATS:ARKQ) and the Space and Defense Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKX). The investment has totaled ARK’s stake in Joby to over $51 million.

According to Benzinga Edge Rankings, Joby scores well on the Momentum metric.

Price Action: JOBY was down 0.78% to $10.15 during premarket trading on Thursday.

Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

Photo courtesy: T. Schneider via Shutterstock