DARPA x Flying Cars

The Defense Department has unveiled full details of their plan to produce a flying Humvee-type vehicle for the U.S. Marines, which include a prototype that could be airborne by 2015.  The project will be launched by DARPA, the same defense agency that created the predecessor of today's worldwide Internet.  (See: ARPANET)

Plans for the so-called "Transformer TX" were revealed in Pentagon budget documents last year, but only recently have actual details come to light.  Like this:

"The Government's envisioned concept consists of a robust ground vehicle that is capable of configuring into a VTOL [Vertical Take Off and Landing] air vehicle with a maximum payload capability of approximately 1,000 lbs."

Here are the preliminary specs:

Carrying capacity: 4 Marines + Gear
Size: < 30' by 8.5' by 9'
Flying Altitude: at least 10,000'

The TX will be able to lift off from a standstill, and there are high hopes that it will be autonomous to eliminate the need for extensive flight training.

Anyone who regularly reads Your Favorite Blog knows how fascinated I am with today's military technology.  I have no doubt that these flying cars are going to be awesome.  I guess we'll wait and see.