美軍研製“飛行悍馬” 明年或亮相

It might look like something out of a Marvel comic but this flying jeep is close to becoming a reAlity.

According to insiders at the military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the first model of this futuristic vehicle will be ready at the end of next year.

It is designed to be capable of driving across the roughest terrain like a jeep, sustain gun fire and take off and land at the flick of a switch.

The US Army hopes that the "flying Humvee" will carry four personnel plus equipment, take off and land vertically, be flown more than 250 miles on a tank of gas, and be operated without pilot training.

Aerospace companies Lockheed Martin and AAI Corporation have presented "feasible designs" to the military's Transformer TX program, and have advanced to the next phase - beginning work on prototypes.

Although no contracts have yet been awarded to take the project to the next level, AAI spokesman Sharn Corna said: "It is my understanding that DARPA intends to proceed with us."

The first model of the "flying Humvee" is expected at the end of next year.

If DARPA then move forward with the project, the new Humvee could take to the skies as soon as 2015.據英國《每日郵報》10月27日報道，圖片裏的東西看起來像是出自漫威漫畫，但這種飛行吉普也許很快將成爲現實。

據美國國防先進項目研究局（DARPA）的內部人士說，這種未來汽車的第一款車型將於明年年底準備就緒。

這款車可像吉普一樣穿越最險惡的地形，同時可以抵禦槍擊，輕觸開關還能起飛降落。

美軍希望這款“飛行悍馬”能夠搭載四名士兵外加裝備，可以垂直起降，一箱燃料的飛行距離超過250英里，即使未經訓練的普通士兵也可以操控。

洛克希德-馬丁和AAI公司已經向美國軍方的“變形金剛TX”計劃遞交“可行性設計”，目前，研發工作已經進入下一個階段，開始研製飛行軍車原型。

AAI公司的發言人沙恩·科納表示，儘管第二階段研發工程的合約尚未簽訂，“但我們認爲DARPA有意與我們繼續合作。”

“飛行悍馬”的第一款車型預計明年年底將會出爐。

如果DARPA繼續推進這一項目，新的悍馬最快將於2015年飛上藍天。