Joby logs first flight of VTOL aircraft it's pitching to the military

Zoom in: Paul Sciarra, Joby's executive chairman, told Axios there are two main missions he now sees the hybrid aircraft conducting: Reconnaissance and communications; and loyal wingman multi-role low-altitude support, including flying alongside assets like the U.S. Army's MV-75.

What they're saying: "We couldn't be more excited about the speed at which we're moving, and I think it really dovetails with the conversation that is happening at the Department of War," Sciarra said.

• "If there's an order for 10-15 of these aircraft, we don't have to spin up a manufacturing line to get that done. The manufacturing line already exists."

Catch up quick: Joby and L3Harris, the ninth largest defense contractor in the world by revenue, announced their collaboration in August.

• The former promised to bring to the table its manufacturing and flight expertise; the latter, its sensing and networking experience.

Zoom out: Joby this year participated in the Resolute Force Pacific exercise, or REFORPAC.

• There, the company logged more than 7,000 miles of autonomous flight operations with a Cessna 208.

Go deeper: Joby is sending more electric aircraft to the Air Force