Flying Vehicles for Battlefield Uses

Flying Vehicles for Battlefield Uses

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US Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is launching a new initiative focusing on how a new type of flying vehicle could transport supplies and soldiers on bases and battlefronts.

The Agility Prime program will assist private companies in testing prototypes and technology for flying cars throughout the country. In exchange for their interest and help, AFRL will offer companies the opportunity to test their flying vehicles in military air space. It will allow companies to put their flying cars in action without having to jump through as many regulatory hoops required by the Federal Aviation Administration for testing.

AFRL will be looking for a new flying vehicle that is either electric or some sort of hybrid that is able to take off vertically, said Daniel Goddard, director of venture capital partnerships with the lab. Electric vehicles make less noise and Goddard said they would allow the Air Force to conduct operations more discreetly in war zones than helicopters. A flying car that is able to take off vertically, would also be useful in areas where no runway is available.

According to military.com, AFRL is still determining the specifics of just how much it would like a new flying vehicle to do. Ideally, there would be different models that could carry a single person or several people, Goddard said. It would also be ideal, he said, for these flying cars to be able to transport anywhere from 500 to 2,000 pounds of cargo and have the potential to be equipped with weapons.

Reports have indicated that the DoD is exploring options to replace or reduce the usage of the V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft with a flying car. The V-22 is an aircraft capable of lifting vertically off the ground like a helicopter while also being able to fly at high speeds and altitude like a fixed-wing plane, according to its manufacturer Boeing.

Rising costs have made the V-22 a prime target for a cheaper alternative, though no outright replacement program is in the works.

While AFRL is focused on the use of flying cars in the military, NASA and some prominent private companies are looking at the potential vehicles for civilian use. A NASA initiative aims to accelerate the certification and approval of future air taxis while developing an “airspace system architecture” for the vehicles to fly within. It will also seek to develop flight guidelines and evaluate passenger perspectives on flying cars, according to the space agency’s website. NASA is already working to develop a flight control system with help from Uber, the popular ride hailing smartphone app.