It seems about every ten years there's big news about yet another flying car and here we are again.. Only this one is a Humvee!!
- PROBLEM:
- Improvised Explosive Devices are tearing up our vehicles and soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan's.
- SOLUTION:
- Simply, rev up the rotor, fire up the ducted fan, extend the wings, and fly over them. Read on...
Never mind massive cutbacks everywhere, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has come up with over 50000000 for this Humvee Transformer (TX) program calling for a 'robust ground vehicle' that can quickly transform into a vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft with a 1,000 pound payload and a flying range of 300 miles. It'll require enough armor to take on small-arms fire, have four-wheel drive, carry four armed soldiers, and be capable of flying remote control should the driver become incapacitated. Did we mention over $50,000,000 USD to just study this brilliant concept??
That's a lot to ask... and aren't we pretty much re-inventing the helicopter? The fundamental challenge of making cars fly is combining two distinct sets of optimal design characteristics into one while preserving the performance of both.
The military considered developing an 'AirGeep' in the 1950s with the Piasecki-PA59K. The Brits developed the tethered 'Flying Jeep' autogyro during WWII.
Advances in materials science and propulsion technology have made the challenge easier but many challenges remain. A general rule is that the weight for conventional aircraft increases about three pounds for every extra one pound of payload.. For VTOLs, it gets much worse. Empty weight increases by an incrdible five to six pounds for every extra pound of payload.
To fly this aerodynamically unstable mass remotely with rotors, wings, and directional thrusting during battle and hostile conditions is a bit of a stretch. Pork, jobs, and lobyists are three words that spring to mind.
This transformer humvee, if our wildest dreams really do come true, will leap over IEDs but become a soft target for RPGs and small-arms fire punching holes in the fuel-laden wings.. Enemy combatants in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought down the faster and more maneuverable Blackhawk helicopters...
One conclusion.
Better to spend the money on needy kids' school lunches, Hospitalized Vets and whatever is still left over... meals-on-wheels for old cardmodel designers.