Pentagon Selects Companies To Build Flying Humvees

longacre sends in a quote from Popular Mechanics: "The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected two companies to proceed with the next stage of its Transformer, known as TX — a fully automated four-person vehicle that can drive like a car and then take off and fly like an aircraft to avoid roadside bombs. Lockheed Martin and AAI Corp., a unit of Textron Systems, are currently in negotiations with DARPA for the first stage of the Transformer project, several industry sources told Popular Mechanics at a robotics conference here in Denver." The picture included with the linked article says it all, really.

Comments

Re:Well I'm glad

[fyoder]

that we've clearly got out budget priorities straight in this country.

Hey, it's only 40 million, drop in the bucket by defense industry standards. From the article:

The two companies are still a ways away from building flying Humvees; the first stage of the DARPA project is merely working on conceptual designs. The total funding available for Transformer is about $40 million.

Defense Industry: DARPA, can we have some money for nothing?

DARPA: No, we can only give money for something. How about you tell us a nice story about flying jeeps?

Re:Why so long?

[amicusNYCL]

We would have been better off with the Avro Arrow

Better off than what? What has Canada needed an air force for over the last 50 years?