DARPA TX The DARPA TX , or Transformer is a 5 - year , 3 - phase flying car effort coordinated by DARPA for the United States Military . The objective of the Transformer ( TX ) program is to demonstrate a four person vehicle that provides enhanced logistics and mobility though hybrid flyable / roadable capabilities . This presents unprecedented capability to avoid traditional and asymmetrical threats while avoiding road obstructions . TX will enable enhanced company operations of future missions with applicable use in strike and raid , intervention , interdiction , insurgency / counterinsurgency , reconnaissance , medical evacuation and logistical supply . The TX vehicle will have Vertical Takeoff and Landing ( VTOL ) capability with a minimum combat range of 250 nautical miles on a single tank of fuel . The primary focus of the TX program will be the development and demonstration of an integrated suite of critical technologies that enable dual - mode transportation , VTOL capability , efficient flight performance , and a combat range comparable to present day rotorcraft . It is envisioned that this program will , at a minimum , demonstrate the ability to build a ground vehicle that is capable of configuring into a VTOL air vehicle that provides sufficient flight performance and range , while carrying a payload that is representative of four troops with gear . Key performance parameters have been specified to show specific operational utility . The program will be divided into two separate tasks . Task A will develop and integrate a full vehicle and Task B will develop individual critical technologies components for the full vehicle . Russia will develop a similar vehicle for the Russian Airborne Troops . The vehicle will be a hybrid of a light combat vehicle and an attack helicopter with a crew of three - four people , and be developed by 2030 . Function . The Marines , Air Force , special forces and National Guard have stated an interest in the vehicle . Marines may use the Transformer as a tool for the Enhanced Company Operations concept . The Marines would use the vehicle for amphibious assault and potentially eliminate the need for amphibious vehicle s which are vulnerable to shore defenses and limited by their low speeds . Special ops would like to send vehicles unmanned to resupply special operators and then allow them to use that vehicle . Its VTOL capability gives it the ability to avoid threats and obstacles . The TX is required to have a range of on a single tank of fuel which may be attained through flight , land , or a combination of both . The vehicle is to be lightly armored , required only to handle small arms fire . Its VTOL capability gives it the ability to avoid threats . DARPA was at first not interested in traditional rotary - wing aircraft , but shrouded rotor concepts might have been considered . The first phase consisted of trade studies to evaluate future technologies as well as conceptual design of both a prototype and a production vehicle . Development . No more than 2 contracts were to be awarded in the $ 65m Phase I . In September however only AAI ' s proposal was selected , for $ 3m . This proposal built on the CarterCopter slowed rotor technology , and incorporated deployable surfaces technology from Terrafugia . The United States Army Research Laboratory ( Vehicle Technology Directorate ) was contracted to conduct rotor analysis . Other partners were Bell Helicopter and Textron Marine & Land Systems , sister companies of AAI and subsidiaries of Textron . Lockheed Martin , Piasecki Aircraft , Ricardo Inc . , Carnegie Mellon University , Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne , Aurora Flight Sciences , ThinGap , Terrafugia and Metis Design are also connected to the project . In October 2010 , Lockheed Martin and its partners were also connected to Phase 1 of the program . Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne received a US $ 1 million contract to develop a Diesel engine called Enduro Core to power the Transformer . In 2011 , AAI and Lockheed were chosen to proceed with Phase II of the project . The 7 , 500 lb AAI vehicle was proposed to be equipped with a 1 , 200 shp Honeywell HTS900 turboshaft engine to power four electric wheel motors or the 56 - inch ducted fan , and spin up the 50 - foot rotor . Ground speed was up to 80 mph ; flight speed range was 50 to 155 kt ; maximum altitude was 10 , 000 ft . The 7 , 000 lb Lockheed vehicle has two turboshaft engines in a 41 ft wing with tilting 8 . 5 ft ducted fans , giving a flight speed of 130 kt , while a Pratt & Whitney EnduroCore heavy - fuel rotary engine powers the four electric wheel motors for ground motion . At AUVSI 2012 , Lockheed Martin spoke openly about their status on the project . AAI Corporation was silent about their involvement details , but confirmed they were still in the competition . At the time of expo , neither company had prototype vehicles , but had designs and scale models of their concept vehicles . Previously , both passed DARPA ' s preliminary design review , which involved computer modeling . Lockheed ' s vehicle relies on two huge turbo - shaft fans and folding wings fixed to a turret above the cab to provide lift and thrust during flight . A key component is computerized flight . Because it will be used by soldiers rather than trained pilots , vehicle operation will be mostly automated . One idea is to have a computer screen to simply plot GPS points to chart a flight path . The fans will rotate 90 degrees on the turret from their stowed positions just in front of and behind the cab to their in - flight positions on both sides of it . Control of takeoff , landing , and flight is controlled by the computer , although soldiers onboard would be able to alter their course or perform an emergency landing . The automated flight technology will be similar to the kind used by the F - 35 Lightning II . The lift fans of Lockheed ' s vehicle provide hover while AAI ' s does not . AAI ' s vehicle can be made lighter , which gives greater ability to up - armor . The winning team from Phase II will produce a Prototype Vehicle ( PV ) with limited features , ready to fly in 2015 . DARPA aims for a full - featured Field Vehicle ( FV ) to cost around $ 1 million , compared to $ 400 , 000 for a Humvee and $ 4 million for a light helicopter . In August 2013 , Lockheed Martin announced it will move on the Phase III of the program . While it began as an attempt to build a four - man " flying car , " that would have limited its flexibility , and has since moved on to creating a general transport flying extraction and payload pod carrying craft ; the payload could be a ground vehicle . Lockheed has partnered with Piasecki Aircraft to build a ducted fan powered aircraft . The tilting fans are safer and allow the design to land in a smaller area than helicopter rotors . The pod - carrying facility will have assistance loading cargo and be able to unload autonomously . Remote control is possible , but it will have the ability to fly itself . The system could deliver supplies into the battlefield without risk to pilots of getting shot down and carry cargo or personnel out . In addition to moving payloads , Lockheed claims their craft can be configured for a number of missions including reconnaissance , medical evacuation , and strike . The U . S . Navy has shown interest in the possibility for it to deliver small boats . The front section of the flight vehicle has management system computers that are controlled by a ground control station to plot its flight path . Computers and software are under development to make it more autonomous . Previous concepts . AVX Aircraft Company proposed a concept with coaxial rotors . Ducted fans were intended as propulsion in air as well as on ground . Logi and Trek offered the Tyrannos , a tilt - fan vehicle . Sources . " This article incorporates work from https : / / www . fbo . gov / index ? s = opportunity & mode = form & id = 9b745d803c1d206f16fd6f64542eadd6 & tab = core & tabmode = list & print _ preview = 1 , which is in the public domain as it is a work of the United States Army . "