The Battle of the Future

The many questions surrounding Flying Cars often center on their practicality and potential uses. It’s not just the average American citizen asking those questions. The U.S. Government or more specifically the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been heavily researching their own flying car or more specifically a “flying humvee” which could be used for a variety of purposes from medical transport to tactical deployment. The project which is known as the “Transformer Project” is a boon for the flying car industry, looking for validation and mass market appeal. The U.S. Government could certainly provide that.

Unsurprisingly, the Government has turned towards some of the leaders in the industry such as Terrafugia , who is subcontracted to a major defense company known as Textron systems. Terrafugia will be providing expertise in “drive and flight integration, deployable flight surfaces, and automotive crash safety for an aircraft.”

The initial plans sketched out by Textron systems have a humvee like vehicle which would have a roof panel that contains wings which rotate and fold out on each side of the vehicle. There’s also a mast that comes up and houses the slowed rotor system. In the rear is a ducted fan which provides forward motion and various controls for pitch, roll, and yaw. For a more detailed look at the humvee check out the photos included in the post.

The real challenge associated with this project is the demand from the military that the vehicle be able to easily carry four people, is capable of a vertical takeoff and landing (which current flying cars that have been developed can’t do) and can travel without refueling for at least 250 nautical miles.

According to Darpa, they would like the vehicle to be able to perform “strike and raid, intervention, interdiction, insurgency and counterinsurgency, reconnaissance, medical evacuation and logistical supply.”

All of this is a very tall order and you can bet Defense contractors who supply helicopters aren’t ecstatic about a vehicle which could potentially cut a hole in their market and damage their stranglehold on manned air transport. All indications are a vehicle this complicated would not be ready any time soon. Steven Reid, vice president of AAI, which is another Textron subsidiary, has said a vehicle of this magnitude is not necessarily in the companies “five year plan” and that their hopes of a fleet are “quite modest” but it is an exciting proposition for the flying car industry and could certainly revolutionize the way military combat and transportation is viewed.