Pentagon mulling ‘feasible’ designs for flying Humvee

Yahoo ^ | 10/27/11 | Liz Goodwin

[NormsRevenge]

The high-tech researchers at the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) say they're reviewing two "feasible" designs for a flying Humvee vehicle called the "Transformer."

The tank-like machine is supposed to be able to take off and land vertically. The plan is for it to be operated by a person without flight training--or by no one at all, Aviation Week reports. AAI and Lockheed Martin have each submitted potential designs, in tandem with Piasecki Aircraft. AAI's prototype would weigh 7,500 pounds and combine traditional plane wings with a helicopter rotor on top. Lockheed Martin's design, above, is 500 pounds lighter.

[Lady Lucky]

Whoa! I think I barfed on one of those at Six Flags!

[Eldon Tyrell]

Somebody has been playing too many video games.

We barely got the V-22 working after 25? years?

Does anyone see where the engines are located for the lift system? Or the driveline connecting them to the vehicle engine?

Didn’t we just add armor plates to Hummers - for like a decade? Hint - bunch of steel plates is not what we like to fly.

This is retarded - and makes Solyndra look like a good idea.

[FreeInWV]

I always wanted to see them cross a v22 and an a10. Just take those big turbofans off of the Warthogs and use em to replace the turboprops on the Osprey. It could do vertical takeoffs and patrol or hover between the buildings in a city. That would be one scary beast! Can you imagine what it would sound like?

[shove_it]

Humming Vee?

[tlb]

The Army has been trying to solve this problem for half a century. Maybe it's finally ripe.

[SERKIT]