Transformer: DARPA announces the Flying Car
December 28, 2009 by Robin Lange
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency seriously wants somebody to build it, and preferably sooner than later. Project Transformer (TX) starts on January 14, 2010.
DARPA invites industry and research community to a TX Proposers’ Day Workshop. The agency already has a clear vision of the cars and their flying functionality:
“The objective of the Transformer (TX) program is to demonstrate a 1 to 4 person transportation vehicle that can drive and fly, thus enabling the warfighter to avoid water, difficult terrain, and road obstructions as well as IED and ambush threats. The vehicle will be capable of driving on prepared surface and light off-road conditions, while flight functionality will require Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL).”
Haven’t we seen flying cars already? For years companies have been promoting their flying cars and even published demo videos. Terrafugia, Moller International, Urban Aeronautics and PAL V Europe, just to name some of them. But they are not selling them yet, maybe never. Terrafugia promises to take its “street-legal airplane” to the streets in 2011, and the street price will supposedly be less than $200.000. Also in 2011 the PAL V One (as seen in the illustration above) is going to fly over Europe, price not yet known.
With the TX program DARPA wants companies and researchers to provide more precise information:
“1) Develop a robust vehicle design that maximizes military utility at a reasonable cost, 2) Identify and mature the critical enabling technologies necessary to vehicle development, and 3) Build a single prototype vehicle that demonstrates the program goals through ground and flight tests.”
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Credits: PAL V Europe
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