One of the best-funded companies in the race to launch electric air taxis has lost a costly fight with a component supplier. A federal jury in Tampa, Florida, found on 2 October that Joby Aviation breached a non-disclosure agreement with Aerosonic and misappropriated its trade secrets, awarding the supplier about $116.9m, AVweb reported.
The award is made up of roughly $68.6m for breach of contract, $29.9m for trade-secret misappropriation and $18.3m in exemplary damages, after jurors found the misconduct wilful and malicious. The jury also rejected Joby’s counterclaims that Aerosonic had broken the agreement and supplied defective probes.
From supplier to competitor
Aerosonic makes air data probes, which measure air pressure around an aircraft. The two companies signed a non-disclosure agreement in 2021 before Aerosonic began supplying probes for Joby’s flight-test aircraft. Aerosonic said it shared engineering drawings, test procedures, 3D models and wind-tunnel data.
According to AVweb, Joby asked to buy the intellectual property days after receiving its first probe in April 2022, and Aerosonic declined. The supplier alleged that Joby kept seeking confidential information and then built its own probe, pointing to an interface shape it said matched a design in its confidential files. Aerosonic filed suit in March 2025.
Joby’s response
Joby denies wrongdoing and says it developed its air data system independently. “We strongly disagree with the jury’s verdict,” a spokesperson said, according to ZAG Daily. Joby has asked the court to overturn the verdict and plans post-trial and appellate challenges, so the award is not yet a final judgment.
A crowded courtroom for air taxis
The verdict lands amid wider legal fights in the sector. On 29 September a California federal court let parts of Joby’s own trade-secret case against rival Archer Aviation proceed while dismissing Archer’s counterclaims. Archer, meanwhile, is suing the UK’s Vertical Aerospace over patents in Texas, and Vertical has filed a counterclaim.
As air-taxi makers bring parts in house, the suppliers that helped them fly are turning to the courts.
What to watch
- The court’s ruling on Joby’s motion to overturn or reduce the award.
- Whether Aerosonic seeks an injunction affecting Joby’s own probe design.
- Next steps in Joby’s separate case against Archer.
