Pentagon Selects Companies To Build Flying Humvees 302
Posted
by
Soulskill
from the yes-really dept.
from the yes-really dept.
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.
How long... (Score:4, Funny)
Airborn, huh? (Score:4, Funny)
That's not a Transformer (Score:5, Funny)
That is clearly a M.A.S.K. vehicle.
Weird... (Score:2, Funny)
At this rate we'll have flying school buses before flying cars.
Well I'm glad (Score:5, Funny)
Dukes of Hazard(The Afghan special) (Score:3, Funny)
Them Duke boys will now be asked to make those supply runs for the military. I just hope that there are enough dirt ramps in the middle east for them to succeed!
I am so glad (Score:4, Funny)
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
That those smart military people have decided that bomb blasts are only 2 dimensional.
Why would you want to make an armored vehicle that flies? There already is such a thing - it's called a HELICOPTER. But I guess when you have access to virtually infinite defense funding, I guess you're allowed to re-invent the wheel.
But.... (Score:4, Funny)
Autobots can't transform into flying things. Only Decepticons do.
This can't be allowed. We can't let the US Military get infiltrated by Decepticons!
Old News (Score:4, Funny)
I drew pictures like that way back in third grade. This is very old news, and I'm sad it's taken military officials so long to catch up.
Detection or avoidance. (Score:1, Funny)
I thought the problem was detecting the IEDs, not avoiding them. DARPA is great, they gave us this global porn distribution network and all, but this idea is just beyond stupid.
ok. stay with me here. (Score:4, Funny)
Imagine the meeting. Sitting round the table and the next item on the agenda is insurgency and road side bombs.
How do we avoid the casualties?
The best answer?
"I know! We make the humvees fly!"
Re:One word: (Score:5, Funny)
Bags of holding are not as heavy as their contents; ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bag_of_holding [wikipedia.org] ) depending on the edition and type of bag, she's only going to be about another 15-60 pounds on top of her regular 300. While Humvees are indeed heavier than this (5200-5900 pounds, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humvee [wikipedia.org]), fat chicks with bags of holding are not an appropriate standard of weight class for military vehicles. I suggest using Huge ( http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Huge_Animated_Object [dandwiki.com] ) or Gargantuan ( http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Gargantuan_Animated_Object [dandwiki.com] ) animated objects.
/pedant
Re:How long... (Score:4, Funny)
Navigating 3D space just requires its own sort of "Drivers test".
I nominate Descent [wikipedia.org] as the best candidate to virtually test if a person is capable of navigating 3D space.
If they Die - they fail.
3 Bumps - they fail.
If they don't make it out before the level blows up - hmmm 1 demerit.
Re:That's not a Transformer (Score:3, Funny)
Here is a 15 second clip of the most recent prototype [youtube.com]. From the looks of it, it just seems they're about halfway done. A billion dollars in R&D should easily get them higher clearances.
Re:That's not a Transformer (Score:3, Funny)
No, not lame enough [adultswim.com].
Re:Why so long? (Score:4, Funny)
But then how will the military contractors afford to make political contributions?
Just think of what a shame it would be if a politician wasn't able to run a television campaign ad because his military contractor buddies couldn't afford to take advantage of their status as a corporate/person/fetus/citizen and donate a few million dollars.
Re:they already have this ... helicopters (Score:4, Funny)
Say this out loud:
"FLYING HUMVEES."
Check your pants, do you have an erection after saying that? If not then there is something wrong with you. Yes, even if you're female. Really that's FLYING HUMVEES!!!!