The Transformer vehicle: helicopter-plane-Humvee

[tysroby]

It looks too far-fetched to be anything but a child’s toy.

But for front-line troops in Afghanistan, this revolutionary vehicle could soon be a reality.

The road-going army truck turns into a helicopter at the touch of a button, allowing it to fly above hazards such as roadside bombs.

And military chiefs believe the American-made vehicle, complete with rotor blades and wings, could transform the fortunes of soldiers fighting the Taliban.

It would be similar to a Humvee vehicle for patrolling on the ground but could turn into a helicopter at the touch of a button in an emergency.

Troops could manoeuvre past lethal roadside bombs, improve resupply operations to remote patrol bases and insert elite Special Forces into Taliban strongholds.

The vehicle would also enable soldiers to escape quickly by air if they were caught in a Taliban ambush.

It would also reduce the time required to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield because they would not need to wait for a medical helicopter - increasing the chances of survival.

The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a £41million programme to develop a flying armoured vehicle that can carry four servicemen or women.

The vehicle - which uses composite armour to protect crew from gunfire, IED blasts and missiles - would be able to travel 280 miles by land or in the air. It could take-off and land vertically - like the Royal Navy's Harrier jump jets - to increase access to rugged terrain.

Fitted with automatic flight controls, it could be flown by someone who was not a qualified pilot - increasing its flexibility.

And it would be fitted with machineguns and cannons to kill and maim attacking insurgents.

The 20ft car could reach speeds of around 65mph on the ground and more than 150mph in the air.

A prototype of the vehicle, dubbed the Transformer, or TX, could be ready by 2015 when British and U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan.

A DARPA spokesman said: 'We are seeking to combine the advantages of ground vehicles and helicopters into a single vehicle equipped with flexibility of movement.

'The concept is to provide options to avoid traditional and asymmetrical threats while avoiding road obstructions.

'With this type technology, transportation will no longer be restricted to trafficable terrain that tends to make movement predictable.'

Terrafugia, a company which has already pioneered a flying car for commercial use, has been drafted in to help produce a prototype armoured truck.

The commercial vehicle, which costs about £132,000 - a similar price to a Ferrari - has wings rather than rotor blades with a 27ft span when lowered. This means it needs 1,700 of clear road to take-off.

A military source said: 'We take an interest in the development of all new technology that may have the potential to help our Armed Forces, no matter how ambitious they may appear to be.'

Quick facts:

■ Speed: Around 65mph on ground and more than 150mph in air

■ Range: 280 miles in air or on land

■ Length: Around 20ft

■ Wheels: Four-wheel drive for ground operations including silent ‘creep’ mode

■ Protection: Lightweight composite anti-blast armour, ballistic-proof windows, machineguns and cannons for defence

■ Engine: JP-8 Turboshaft for airborne cruising

■ Wing span: About 27ft

■ Rotors: Powerful blades for smooth vertical take-off and safe landing if engine fails

■ Price: £132,000 – similar to that of a Ferrari

Source: DailyMail by Ian Drury

[andy2004]

1 word, laughable, Range 280miles in air or on land, what a joke, the HUMVEE which you say is based on, cant even do 1/4 of that on a FULL TANK, it has the worst mpg going, full tank of fuel would get you what 80miles at best. Humvee which was shown on a tv series Top gear said the milage per gallon was around 9mile but i guess that dont mean anything so i'll just post this link here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummer_H2#Fuel_economy H1 would be lower, due to size being bigger

[tipo]

1 word, laughable, Range 280miles in air or on land, what a joke, the HUMVEE which you say is based on, cant even do 1/4 of that on a FULL TANK, it has the worst mpg going, full tank of fuel would get you what 80miles at best.

tysroby didn`t say that. dailymail did...if you have a problem with this article go argue with Ian Drury...

[tysroby]

I agree, this seems like a bad idea. the first thing I was thinking about how vulnerable the vehicle would be while deploying or folding it's rotors. I think that would require a few minutes, what seems like dangerous sitting in one place while under attack for example or in some sort of other urgent scenario.

[andy2004]

sorry tysroby if i affended you, i didnt see the Source link to daily mail, and my statement wasn't directed directly to you, but the idea of such a vehicle mostly, and as it seems you didnt write the article but merely copied it from their site, so i guess it was directed towards Ian Drury

[myidisbb]

you are basing it off of the hummer. the hummer and hmmwv are different things

Base HMMWV assume 8-9 mpg – Hybrid HMMWV achieves 14-17 mpg

Stock MTVR assumes 8 mpg – Hybrid truck achieves 10-12 mpg

i can go 120 miles with fuel left over. the newer uparmor heavey ones (5 tons) have a better engine to help make up the difference caose by weight.

but anyway, this combat equipment is not posible and is not needed. its a joke. last time i check a plane/helo is not armored up. a hmmwv fully loaded cost between $5 to 10 million a piece now. this joke equpiment would in up costing 100 million easy

[tysroby]

sorry tysroby if i affended you, i didnt see the Source link to daily mail, and my statement wasn't directed directly to you, but the idea of such a vehicle mostly, and as it seems you didnt write the article but merely copied it from their site, so i guess it was directed towards Ian Drury

No problem, you didn't offend. I totally agree with your point of view. I just had to share this article, because it is kind of funny. Probably, on a rainy day, the brilliant military researchers at the Pentagon, couldn't go outside and play with their rockets so they came up with this groundbreaking idea.

But If you pay close attention to the article, you will notice how the author begins his description of the vehicle: "It looks too far-fetched to be anything but a child’s toy." and then he goes on describing the it. I believe Ian Drury also had a good laugh when his editor told him to cover this story :)

And to avoid future confusion I edited the Source link, it's nice and red, so it will be more noticeable

@myidisbb

DailyMail says it only costs £132,000. Maybe that's the basic edition without any extra options :)

[myidisbb]

@myidisbb

DailyMail says it only costs £132,000. Maybe that's the basic edition without any extra options :)

i dont care what dailymail said that is a crazy low price that is so unreal. it is an unreal vehicle without any protection. no soldier would ever think of using one even if they could get it to work