The next generation of vertical flight
March 1, 2013
(Credit: DARPA)
The DARPA Tactical Technology Office is soliciting proposals on the design, development and demonstration of a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) experimental aircraft (X-Plane) with exceptional performance in vertical and cruise flight, and operational capability through transition from vertical to forward flight
Higher speeds, increased efficiency, elegant designs are the focus of DARPA’s new VTOL X-Plane.
The versatility of helicopters and other vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft make them ideal for a host of military operations.
Helicopters are slower — leaving them more vulnerable to damage from enemy weapons. Special operations that rely on lightning-quick strikes and medical units that transport patients to care facilities need enhanced speed to shorten mission times, increase mission range, reduce the number of refueling events and, most important, reduce exposure to the adversary.
However, “for the past 50 years, we have seen jets go higher and faster while VTOL aircraft speeds have flat-lined and designs have become increasingly complex,” said Ashish Bagai, DARPA program manager.
“To overcome this problem, DARPA has launched the VTOL X-Plane program to challenge industry and innovative engineers to concurrently push the envelope in four areas: speed, hover efficiency, cruise efficiency and useful load capacity.”
“We have not made this easy,” he continued. “Strapping rockets onto the back of a helicopter is not the type of approach we’re looking for. The engineering community is familiar with the numerous attempts in the past that have not worked. This time, rather than tweaking past designs, we are looking for true cross-pollinations of designs and technologies from the fixed-wing and rotary-wing worlds. The elegant confluence of these engineering design paradigms is where this program should find some interesting results.”
A Proposers’ Day will be held on March 14th.
The Broad Agency Announcement for the solicitation can be found here.
Comments (18)
by James Adrian
I have written a short article advising a design path for flying machines which may be a bit long for a comment here. If there is a more appropriate place for it on this website, please let me know. Here it is:
http://www.futurebeacon.com/flight.htm
James Adrian
jim@futurebeacon.com
by Sudesh Kumar
take a closer look at the artists impression, 2nd pic from top in the main body of the page. A 10 feet vertical take off using heli-lift would be adequate but a counter rotation jet is a need. There after,, let hatches close the heli-lift propellers and let jets take over. Imagination Technology (IT) at work !!!
by Sudesh Kumar
100 feet not 10 feet.
by Randolph Garrison
This would be easily accomplished for a lot less money than you thnk!
by Bri
Care to elaborate?
by Larry Coleman
Khannea, I’m writing this reply on a system that was created in large part by DARPA long ago called the Internet. I’m also sitting in a country that had its first European discovery by the superpower of the time, the Spanish, and then was largely settled by another one, the English. If I were a few hundred miles to the west, on the other side of the Mississippi, I’d be in former French lands, which was that superpower’s territory until the Louisiana Purchase.
The first superpower collapse? Tell that to the ancient Romans, the Ottomans, the Spanish, the French, the British, and a partridge in a pear tree. It wasn’t even 200 years ago when it was said that “the sun never sets on the British empire”. You don’t even need to go back centuries, though, because this wouldn’t even be the first superpower collapse in our lifetime: remember the Russians?
by anon
Can’t handle money?
Spending a trillion a year for destructive technologies?
Genes make you do it. (Got any other explanation?)
For help call 1-800-UNCLESAMREHAB
by Dan
The link doesn’t work to the Broad Agency Annoucement solicitation – please can you repost?
by Editor
Fixed
by Rick O'Hara
To see a wonderful fusion of fixed wing and rotary aircraft, check out the Carter Aviation SR/C aircraft prototype at http://www.cartercopters.com. It takes off vertically with rotary blades and then slows the rotors while transferring lift to fixed wings, thereby achieving the speed and fuel efficiency of fixed wing aircraft.
by Jim Mooney
“Elegant Designs” DARPA is finally learning from Apple. Even though their customer is the government, they can pry more money from weakminded CongressBums with Snazzy, SciFi designs – although an enemy doesn’t care if your killing machine looks like the lates iThing. Let’s hope the Sequester dials them back a bit from being the biggest moneyhogs on earth.
by KSM
I think the sort of “elegance” they’re looking for is probably better described as “form follows function” rather than “snazzy.” Or to paraphrase a quote from Einstein, a design that is as simple as possible, but no simpler.
by Gorden Russell
These designs might not work until after the Singularity, when we have the self-assembling photo-voltaic carbon nanocells that can grow panels to cover the fans in the wings.
But after the Sing, there will be a world of abundance where there will be no need for war. (Well, except for the rare charismatic sociopathic Napoleon or Alexander who wants to conquer the world just because it’s there. But who will follow them to war when everybody has all their needs met?
Also, after the Sing, everyone will be able to recognize a sociopath and inject the stem cells into the empty areas of their brains where the rest of us feel love and empathy. That missing part of their brain can be grown in to give them a conscience.
by Gorden Russell
Here’s a link to an article about dictators:
• http://brainz.org/10-most-evil-dictators-on-earth/
One of them is King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia.
Remember how most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis? Why would they die to kill us? Do they think that we are keeping a tyrant in power over them?
How will tyrants keep power over people after the Sing, when the people have the self-assembling photovoltaic carbon nanocells to take carbon out of the air and weave it into graphene and carbon nanotubes to build anything they desire?
That also includes growing all the weapons they need to resist tyranny.
by Khannea Suntzu
The DARPA can rub its magical tax money lamp from Washington all its wants, but I feel that Afreet will soon turn sour on them. The US is already spending more than the 26 countries combines (25 of which are allies), (i.e. close to a trillion dollars a year) and still it isn’t enough.
Well good luck, now we are seeing the first superpower collapse unfold before our very eyes. Attributable Hubris.
by Bernard
Those illustrations make me think of the covers on the ’50′s popular science magazines that I am old enough to remember. Kluges, for sure.
by melajara
This is a perfect call for Mr Joseph Hiddink revolutionary technology.
Hope he is reading this and will apply.
by Bri
@Melajara: Mr Hiddink is an interesting story. I think he probably wouldn’t want to go through all that again with a government agency. His technological claims are rather stunning. On the surface it would seem that he has discovered the same thing that tesla did. I don’t see any verification of his claims. If they are true they would be revolutionary. It’s a shame he doesn’t produce a lesser device that works off those principals. Maybe present it through kick starter. I’m going to have to look at this more closely. Nice reference though.