DARPA的飛行運(yùn)輸戰(zhàn)車(chē)

????幾年前，五角大樓的高級(jí)研究計(jì)劃局（DARPA）公開(kāi)征集一種飛行汽車(chē)的設(shè)計(jì)方案，同時(shí)特別指出美軍需要的是一種像悍馬越野車(chē)一樣的運(yùn)兵車(chē)，而且要能夠垂直起飛和降落，可以運(yùn)載四名士兵及其裝備高速航行。這個(gè)概念聽(tīng)起來(lái)似乎太牽強(qiáng)了，但是洛克希德馬丁公司卻真的給出了這樣一份設(shè)計(jì)方案。它在車(chē)子的頂部安了兩個(gè)碩大無(wú)比的螺旋槳，這種聽(tīng)起來(lái)頗為合理的方案也通過(guò)了DARPA的兩輪設(shè)計(jì)審查。

????去年，DARPA放棄了對(duì)飛行汽車(chē)的興趣，但并沒(méi)有完全拋棄這個(gè)計(jì)劃，只是要求洛克希德馬丁的工程師繼續(xù)改進(jìn)螺旋槳系統(tǒng)的設(shè)計(jì)，因?yàn)镈ARPA現(xiàn)在希望這套系統(tǒng)能夠適應(yīng)一系列不同的負(fù)載。

????DARPA最終希望看到的是一套多功能的直升機(jī)式的飛行系統(tǒng)。它可以搭載一套情報(bào)傳感器，或是在軍艦、軍事基地或部隊(duì)之間吊運(yùn)物資（不包括人員）。這種運(yùn)輸系統(tǒng)甚至可以演變成一種自動(dòng)的、無(wú)人駕駛的“戰(zhàn)地救護(hù)直升機(jī)”，深入戰(zhàn)區(qū)自動(dòng)將傷員運(yùn)至后方，以免有人的醫(yī)療直升機(jī)遭遇被擊落的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。這個(gè)被戲稱(chēng)為“變形金剛”的概念現(xiàn)在還停留在概念階段。但是美國(guó)軍方已經(jīng)給了洛克希德馬丁公司一份合同，讓該公司在2015年前開(kāi)發(fā)一款能吊升起3000磅（約合1.36噸）貨物的原型機(jī)用于驗(yàn)證。

DARPA's flying car now hauls cargo

????A few years ago, Pentagon blue-sky research arm DARPA put out a call for proposals for nothing short of a flying ca r-- specifically a Humvee-like troop carrier that could also take off and land vertically, hauling four soldiers and their gear through the air at speed. The idea was as far-fetched as it sounds, but Lockheed Martin came forward with a design for a vehicle packing two massive ducted fans on top that was plausible enough to pass two DARPA design reviews.

????In the last year, DARPA has lost interest in its flying car. But it hasn't abandoned the program altogether, instead asking Lockheed engineers to move forward with the design of the ducted fan lift system that would've provided lift to its flying Humvee design. The twist: DARPA now wants the lift system to be adaptable to a variety of different payloads.

????What DARPA ultimately envisions is an autonomous flying lift system that could carry intelligence sensor packages or pick up and deliver cargo pallets or even vehicles (but without people in them) between ships or military bases or to troops in the field. Such a transport system could even work as an autonomous, unmanned ambulance transport, dropping into combat zones to collect wounded soldiers and fly them back to safety without putting manned Medevac units at risk. Transformer, as the concept is known, is still just a concept. But Lockheed has been granted a contract to develop a prototype capable of lifting 3,000 pounds for demonstration by 2015.