Breaking news
Lockheed Martin works on the new project of hybrid helicopter armoured vehicle Transformer TX 26.
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Defence & Security Industry News - Lockheed Martin |
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| Monday, August 26, 2013 11:02 AM | |||
| Lockheed Martin works on the new project of hybrid helicopter armoured vehicle Transformer TX. | |||
A new project by Lockheed Martin and the Defense Advanced Research Project
Agency, or DARPA, includes a flying "car" that will be a hybrid
of an armored vehicle and a helicopter. Transformer TX can't travel back
in time - that we know - but the vehicle could be ready for testing as
soon as 2015, according to Lockheed officials. |
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 Concept of Lockheed Martin hybrid armored vehicle and a helicopter. |
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| Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, the informal name for the company's Advanced Development Programs division, is working with Piasecki Aircraft Corp. to develop a compact, high-speed vertical takeoff and landing unmanned payload delivery system. The vehicle also has to be road-worthy and able to be operated by a typical soldier. DARPA said the program "seeks to combine the advantages of ground vehicles and helicopters into a single vehicle, maximizing flexibility of movement." Transformer is designed to accommodate multiple missions with interchangeable payloads and could carry cargo, medical evacuation units, tactical ground vehicles and eventually, troops. It would also have reconnaissance and strike capabilities. Transformer's tilting ducted fans allow for a safer operating environment in smaller landing zones than a standard helicopter. It can also travel up to 250 miles on a single tank of gas. The $20.3 million project began in 2010 and is nearing the end of its design phase. A working prototype will follow. |
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