The DARPA TRANSFORMER

[Bigunit]

DARPA Transformer






In 2010, through its Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon budgeted $65 million to develop a combat-ready, 4-person roadable aircraft that can lift off without a runway; imagine a Humvee mated with a helicopter. The objective is to create a vehicle that can fly over problems on the ground, such as a road laced with bombs, for raids, reconnaissance or evacuation missions. DARPA has named AAI Corp. and Lockheed Martin as the system's developers. Design proposals use a rotor for vertical takeoff and landing and a small wing for high-speed cruising.

 

[kflips]

We can work on a sunroof adaptor for Hummers & bypass traffic for a lot less.

Maybe Timco can get Gobi to make a Sunroof Adaptor for their racks

 

[3Hummers]

Saw this in an article about flying cars. What a cool concept.

 

[Portager]

I've been using that as my avatar for awhile.

It will be interesting to see what they come up with. I don't want to be a kill joy, but it requires a very big compromise to make a vehicle drive and fly, so I expect the off road capability and the flying ability will be very limited. So instead of a flying Hummer I expect it will be more like a Prius that doesn't fly very well or very far.

There are two problems they are trying to solve. Improvised explosive devices (IED) and brownout. They are think of using more air transit to get around or over IED’s, but then they will have even more brownout (where the pilot is blinded by blowing dust from landing in unpaved areas). The flying vehicle would allow them to land on pavement and then drive the last few miles.

Here are some more artists renditions to wet your appetite.

 

[Paladine71]

Needs a brush guard...

 

[Portager]

This is a weight critical design. The weight of a brushguard offsets fuel load which reduces range. Why not fly over the brush and leave the brush guard off.

 

[kflips]

I'm not seeing it - they should just use the scout helicopters with seats on the rails and a few ATV's strapped on the underbelly

 

[5gn-h3t]

But then they couldn't spend $65 million on drawings.

 

[Bigunit]

'Flying Humvee' Project Moves Ahead!

By John Roach

Lockheed Martin's design for DARPA's Transformer TX program to develop a battle-ready flying car has advanced to the prototype development stage. AAI Corporation's design has advanced as well. Ground and air demonstrations could begin by 2015.

A flying car that's rugged enough for hardcore off-road driving, able to survive small-arms fire and can quickly take off and land is potentially just a few years shy of reality, according to reports sourced from DARPA, the U.S. military's future-oriented research arm. Aerospace companies Lockheed Martin and AAI Corporation have presented "feasible designs" to the military's Transformer program, reports Aviation Week's Ares blog, and have advanced to the next phase, which is to begin work on prototypes of the contraptions.

Formal contracts for Phase 2 have yet to be awarded, AAI spokeswoman Sharon Corna told me in an email, but "it is my understanding that DARPA intends to proceed with us." Presentation of prototypes of the so-called "flying Humvees" is expected at the end of fiscal 2012. If DARPA selects one of the designs for Phase 3, ground and flight demonstrations of a flying Humvee could occur in 2015.

AAI Corporation's design for the Transformer TX program is shown here.

Regular folks may soon be able to drive around Terrafugia's Transition roadable aircraft, which cleared regulatory hurdles this July. But that car, which is more like an airplane that drives and must take off and land at airports, is a far cry from what DARPA has in mind. The military envisions a vehicle that can carry four soldiers and gear, take off and land vertically, be flown more than 250 miles on a tank of gas, and be operated by a "typical soldier," according to DARPA's program description. "Meeting these requirements is pushing the state of the art in lightweight materials and structure, high power-to-weight engines, and autonomous flight controls," Aviation Week notes.

http://futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/26/8494776-flying-humvee-moves-ahead

 

[M22KLARS]

Seriously crazy.

 

[Big2dabank]

I want my money back. Did they ever hear of the KISS phrase? I bet we could develop a working prototype with some good ole backyard engineering and a couple hundreds Gs.

 

[LagunaH1]

Cool for sure but...... just doesn't seem practical to me. If these things are going to fly they will have to be LIGHT which will mean little or no armor. If the "flying humvee" is not well armored.... uhm... doesn't that seem like a repeat of something? How well would this thing stand up to, say, RPG's?

 

[PbSlinger]

I'm skeptical, too. Sounds like it won't be very good at either flying or off-road. Besides, now that Obummer's friends in Libya are in charge and have shipped tens of thousands of shoulder fired surface to air missiles (think stingers) to our good friends like Syria, Iran, and who knows else, in a couple years our troops won't have to worry as much about IED's as they will getting shot out of the sky by some puke with a SAM.

 

[HUMMER INVESTMENTS]

That is cool for sure! But i am skeptical as everyone else

 

[Renagade132]

Cool idea though!