Xwing
Xwing, a San Francisco company founded in 2016, developed Superpilot autonomy for cargo aircraft. Joby Aviation acquired its autonomy division in June 2024.
With 51 to 200 staff, it raised at least 40 million US dollars before the sale; the remaining business continues cargo operations under the Xwing name. Superpilot is now part of Joby.
No verified deployments yet
Xwing is profiled in the companies register, but no deployment has been verified against published evidence. Records are added as evidence is reviewed and graded.
Products & Solutions
1 productSuperpilot
Superpilot is Xwing's proprietary modular autonomous flight system that enables safe, fully uncrewed gate-to-gate flight operations on existing type-certified fixed-wing aircraft.
Addresses commercial aviation pilot shortages (projected 80,000+ deficit in cargo by 2030), high operational labor costs (pilots represent 30-50% of operating costs), and inability to continuously utilize aircraft beyond pilot duty limits. Also enables military cargo missions in high-risk environments without crew exposure.
- Fully autonomous gate-to-gate operations including taxi, takeoff, cruise, approach, and landing with no required pilot onboard
- Human-on-the-loop ground supervision model, remote operator monitors and communicates with ATC but does not actively fly the aircraft
- AI and machine learning-based runway safety system for taxi, takeoff, and landing phases
- Multi-sensor fusion detect-and-avoid system using LIDAR, air-to-air radar, cameras, and other sensors, operates in darkness, adverse weather, and sun glare
6 more features
- Autonomous mission management including trajectory planning, real-time rerouting, and emergency procedure execution
- Platform-agnostic and modular, retrofits existing type-certified aircraft (demonstrated on Cessna 208B Grand Caravan)
- Seamless integration with existing national airspace system and ATC procedures under Part 135 rules
- Automated pre-flight inspection, weight and balance validation, and engine start
- Ground control station (GCS) software enabling remote operator coordination and optional intervention
- Portable remote supervision demonstrated using laptop and satellite communications unit
Technical specifications (8)
- Platform: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (N101XW), primary demonstration aircraft
- Aircraft specs (N101XW): 41 ft length, 15 ft height, 52 ft wingspan, max payload 3,000 lbs
- Flight performance demonstrated: up to 1,000 nm range with 1,200 lbs cargo payload
- Autonomous hours logged: 500+ autonomous flight hours across 250+ fully autonomous missions (as of early 2024)
- Sensor suite: LIDAR, air-to-air radar, cameras (day/night), additional perception hardware
- Certification basis: FAA Standard Category airworthiness, Project Specific Certification Plan (PSCP) filed April 2023; first UAS to receive official FAA project designation under Standard Category
- Operations authority: U.S. Air Force Military Flight Release (MFR) received January 2024 under AFWERX Autonomy Prime
- Carrier authority: FAA Part 135 air carrier certification (Xwing operating as cargo carrier since 2021)
- FAA Standard Category UAS, Project Specific Certification Plan (PSCP) officially designated April 2023; first UAS certification project under Standard Category airworthiness requirements; certification in progress as of June 2024 acquisition
- U.S. Air Force Military Flight Release (MFR), awarded January 2024 by AFWERX Autonomy Prime; first MFR under Autonomy Prime program for contractor-owned-and-operated public aircraft operation (PAO)
- FAA Part 135 air carrier certification, Xwing operating as commercial air carrier since 2021
- AFWERX Phase II SBIR contract (March 2023) and Phase III SBIR contract (December 2023)
Register notes
Notes held in the Aerostack register. Aerostack has not independently verified them.
Xwing pioneered autonomous cargo flight using retrofitted Cessna Grand Caravans, completing the world's first fully autonomous gate-to-gate commercial cargo flight in February 2021.
Read the rest
The sale of the autonomy division to Joby in 2024 was both a strategic exit for the core IP and a significant milestone for the industry.
The remaining Xwing continues cargo operations.
The autonomous cargo aviation market is now being contested by Reliable Robotics, Merlin Labs, and Joby (post-Xwing acquisition), alongside new entrants including Grid Aero.
Profile data from the Aerostack companies register; deployment records from the verified register. Evidence grades: T1 first-party confirmation, T2 credible reporting. See Our approach for how records are graded.