SyberJet launches SJ36 light jet program with 2032 delivery target

Trevor Milton, the founder and former CEO of hydrogen truck startup Nikola who left the company amid fraud charges, is back with a new venture in aviation. Milton is now chief executive of SyberJet Aircraft, which on September 29, 2025, announced the launch of the SJ36, a next-generation light jet that the manufacturer says will redefine its category. 

The nine-seat jet is scheduled to begin flight testing in 2027, with certification and first deliveries targeted for 2032. The projected price is $14 million. SyberJet, headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, says the program will create more than 1,500 jobs at facilities in Arizona, Texas, and Utah over the next four years. 

The SJ36 is a direct evolution of the SyberJet SJ30-2, a light jet powered by Williams FJ44 turbofan engines and known for its high performance. The new model will offer a four-foot longer cabin, a single-pilot flight deck, and updated systems that include fly-by-wire controls and a 14-kilowatt zero-emission electric auxiliary power unit. SyberJet projects a maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.88, a ceiling of 49,000 feet, and a 3,000-nautical-mile range, making nonstop flights such as Los Angeles to Hawaii and Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles possible in a light jet for the first time. Operators will also be able to pre-condition the cabin remotely, run diagnostics, and update avionics and databases over the air from a smartphone, tablet, or computer. 

At the center of the design is SyberVision, a proprietary avionics suite that the company says is being developed in-house. The cockpit will feature six high-definition touchscreens, an integrated flight management system with autopilot and autothrottle, FADEC compatibility, and advanced weather tools. Milton, who is also a licensed airplane and helicopter pilot, said the system is intended to be simpler and more intuitive than existing avionics systems. Engine choice has yet to be announced, but power is estimated to be in the 3,400- to 3,700-pound-thrust class.

The SJ36 continues a program that began in the late 1980s, when aircraft designer Ed Swearingen launched development of the original SJ30. That jet became known for its unusually high speed, 49,000-foot ceiling, and ability to maintain sea-level cabin altitude at cruising levels. Sino Swearingen achieved FAA certification in 2006, but only a small number of aircraft were delivered. In 2011, Utah-based Metalcraft Technologies, which had built parts for the jet, acquired the program and formed SyberJet Aircraft. 

Milton’s leadership has brought renewed attention to the program. He founded Nikola in 2015, positioning it as a pioneer in hydrogen-electric trucking. The company went public in 2020 and briefly reached a multibillion-dollar valuation, but months later short seller Hindenberg Research alleged that Nikola had overstated its technology. Milton resigned as executive chairman that year. In 2022 he was convicted of securities and wire fraud for misleading investors and sentenced to four years in prison in 2023, but was pardoned in March 2025 by US President Donald Trump.

The post SyberJet launches SJ36 light jet program with 2032 delivery target appeared first on AeroTime.

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