Bob Martin did the modeling in these Flying Humvee photos

The Feb issue of Popular Science was our inspiration for the Flying Humvee model.

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 !! (Credit to 'Popular Science' Feb 2011 issue)

Never mind massive cutbacks everywhere, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), has come up with over 65+ million exploratory bucks 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. 

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 (see right). The Brits developed the tethered Flying Jeep‘’ autogiro during WWII. (see left)

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 get much worse.  Empty weight increases by an incredible 5-6 pounds for every extra pound of payload.  

To fly this aerodynamically unstable mass remotely with rotors,wings,and directional trusting during battle and hostile conditions is a bit of a stretch. Pork, jobs, and lobbyists 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.

Guerillas, commandos, and terrorists each enjoy using IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). Six out of ten deaths incurred by coalition forces in Iraq are from these type of bomb. Insurgents in Iraq used them at an even more successful rate.

Homeland Security has reported that the number of IED's used in Afghanistan increased by four-hundred percent in 2007 with an equal increase of caused deaths and an increase of seven-hundred percent in injuries. IEDs are among the top causes of death for NATO Troops in the country.

It has been decided that a flying vehicle is necessary to triumph these sadly disappointing numbers in troop loss. The design will incorporate the benefits of both ground and air vehicles into a single machine. It is intended to be remotely piloted, so that it's passengers may focus solely on battle.

Flying Humvee cardmodel-first Beta build from Richard Dery, the designer.

A: Fuel in self-sealing wing tanks outside of crew compartment F: Ducted fan concept for propulsion, cruise flight and general mobility K: Electric in-wheel 4-wheel drive for ground operations including run silent capability B: High-inertia rotor system for powerful performance G: Ailerons for roll control in cruise L: JP-8 fueled turboshaft engine for airborne cruise C: Gambled rotor hub provides rotor tilt & tilting mast enable efficient cruise H: Robust ground vehicle for all terrain mobility M: Crumple zone for NHTSA crash protection D: Pitch and yaw thrust deflectors for stability and control at high & low speeds I: Fully autonomous integrated FCS to support control by non-rated ground personnel N: Lightweight composite armor and ballistically tolerant windscreens E: All-movable stabilizers for stability and control in cruise. J: Long-stroke, high energy suspension system for off- road operations O: This space for rent

This 'BumbleVee' is included in your Humvee folder.

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Robotic Flying Humvee.....(yet another version) This is the V-STAR design concept with a ducted-fan design. V-STAR is the HUMVEE of the air, and is designed to resupply US troops with ammo, and food etc during battles - or, naturally, it could be tooled up with an array of deadly weaponry and join in itself. Conventional saucer-like turbo shaft powered fan airframe has a few new bells and whistles added: a separate tail fan for high speed and a diamond-shaped box wing for efficient lift at speed. The designers also hope to drastically improve fuel efficiency using a proprietary "recuperator" to harvest waste heat from the turbine exhausts and put it back into the engine at the intake. Weirdly, the flying Hummer's payload bay is situated inside the central hub of the hover fans. This is intended to benefit the craft's stability. The box wing also has pop-out winglets for better lift at low speeds. At full speed it can hover in midair or zoom along at up to 450 mph.

'The flying humvee will help avoid successful destructive attacks on US troops such as this.'

...And this. (A 'Cougar' not a Humvee)

 

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UPDATE:

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 will take off and land vertically. It is planned to be operated by a person without flight training, perhaps nobody at all. AAI and Lockheed Martin have each submitted potential designs. The prototype would weigh 7,500 pounds and combine traditional plane wings with a helicopter rotor on top. DARPA will submit a prototype Transformer by 2015.

 

 

If you liked this Flying Humvee model, you also enjoy the Flying Flea / Flying Barrel & Flying Jeep