Jury Sides with Aerosonic in Joby Aviation eVTOL Trade Secrets Case | Aviation International News

Regulations and Government

Jury Sides with Aerosonic in Joby Trade Secrets Case

Probe maker wins $116.9 million verdict against eVTOL developer

Joby’s eVTOL flies at sunset — © Joby Aviation

By Hanneke Weitering • Science & Technology Editor

October 5, 2026

A federal jury in Tampa found on October 2 that eVTOL developer Joby Aviation breached a confidentiality agreement with avionics supplier Aerosonic and misappropriated trade secrets surrounding its air data probes. The jury awarded Aerosonic about $116.9 million, according to the verdict form filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Clearwater, Florida-based Aerosonic, a TransDigm subsidiary, makes probes that measure air pressure around an aircraft so its flight computers can calculate airspeed, altitude, angle of attack, and sideslip. Aerosonic sued Santa Cruz, California-based Joby in March 2025, claiming Joby used Aerosonic’s proprietary designs and test data to develop its own probes in-house.

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