Advanced air mobility developer Joby Aviation appears to have tested a large long-endurance hydrogen-powered drone, according to investigative news outlet Hunterbrook, which first reported on this development.
Hunterbrook has also published some pictures that were taken from a distance, which seems to confirm this hypothesis.
The flight test took place on June 30, 2025, at Pendleton Airport (PDT), in northern Oregon. The mysterious aircraft remained airborne for over nine hours, flying circular patterns over the Pendleton Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Range, which is located in the vicinity of the aforementioned airport.
$JOBY The unknown aircraft N30FR completed a flight on 30 Jun..+9 HOURS LONG!
— Waggs181.eth (@ChrisWaggoner2) July 2, 2025
While Joby is known, above all else, for its work in the eVTOL field (the company just completed full-transition demonstration flights in Dubai in early July), since 2022 it has been diversifying its activities through a number of selective acquisitions.
In 2021 Joby acquired German firm H2FLY, which specializes in hydrogen propulsion, and in 2024 it did the same with the autonomous flight activities of Californian startup XWing.
It has long been known that Joby is interested in hydrogen propulsion as a potential range extender for its flagship eVTOL product. In July 2024, for example, a hydrogen-powered eVTOL prototype completed a 523-mile journey nonstop in within California.
The nine-hour flight recently completed would, however, place this flying craft on a whole other league when it comes to range. Likewise, it has been suggested that the likely unmanned nature of the aircraft points towards potential military applications.
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