US military interested in flying motorcycle
The Pentagon is going to develop flying motorcycles in conjunction with the British company Malloy Aeronautics. Work in this direction will be carried out by a military research laboratory located in Maryland. Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd Resenford told reporters about this. In this regard, the American army, as they say, seized the initiative, since the project of a flying motorcycle, or hoverbike, which has been under development for more than two years, has recently begun to stall due to the lack of funds from the developers.
The author of the concept of a flying motorcycle was the Australian engineer Chris Malloy, who hoped to create a civilian version of the hoverbike and release it into mass production. At the same time the price of one motorcycle would be 40-60 thousand dollars. At the same time, he announced the collection of funds for the launch of the series, but the announced campaign gave deplorable results. Therefore, it is not clear at present whether work will continue on creating a civilian model, or whether the developer will concentrate all his efforts on creating a military version of the machine together with SURVICE Engineering, which works in the field of research and development of military technologies.
It is worth noting that initially the creators of the flying motorcycle promised to achieve impressive performance for their cars. The altitude of the hoverbike should be up to 3 kilometers, and the speed will be up to 278 km / h. At the same time, the flight range on one fuel tank should be 150 km, but the developers allow the possibility of installing an additional mounted attachment tank. As explained by the US military, the Pentagon has expressed interest in Hovierovka, since such machines are universal. Flying motorcycles can be an effective means of conducting aerial reconnaissance and surveillance, they can also move soldiers over difficult terrain. In addition, flying motorcycles have increased maneuverability compared with the same helicopters.
Initially, there was no talk of any military use of the new mode of transport. When a few years ago, an engineer from Australia, Chris Malloy, promised on the Internet to create a personal air vehicle that could be controlled as easily as a conventional motorcycle, it was purely about civilian technology. It is worth noting that the Australian and English engineers have been working on the project of their air motorcycle for more than two years. At the same time, they talk about the serious advantages of hoverbikes and full-size drones for military use in front of helicopters. In particular, they are safer, their survivability in combat conditions is higher, since they can fly without human control and be controlled remotely. And the cost of these devices is much less, the same can be said about their maintenance.
From the first stages of development, when the main element - carbon screws - were made by hand, and their core was filled with foam plastic, the technology significantly evolved. The design with two screws turned into a quadrocopter. The solution, which consists of rotating and overlapping rotating blades, is designed to reduce the weight and area of the structure. At the same time in the folded state for transport quadcopter takes up even less space.
At one time, to prove the viability of its concept, Malloy Aeronautics built a model in Hampshire that was 3 times smaller than the original device. At the same time, it was equipped with a pilot model in order to demonstrate the ability of a hoverbike to carry a person, already then in the head Robot-pilot camera was mounted. It was the demonstration of this model that allowed the company to attract funding for further development. The created model of the device could stably perform the required maneuvers at different heights. At the same time, the full-size prototype of the device was tested only with safety cables that kept it at a low height.
Developed to scale 1: 3 from a full-sized sample, the model was given the designation Drone 3 Hoverbike. It was an unmanned aerial vehicle, which could be controlled in the traditional way using a remote control. Even then, the developers stated that the manned quadcopter they were creating would receive stable handling, good maneuverability and carrying capacity, becoming at the same time a unique vehicle of its kind. In 2014, development engineer Grant Stapleton said that hoverbike, in fact, is a helicopter - it takes off, flies and lands like a helicopter. The machine is designed to fly at an altitude of more than 2,5 km at speeds up to 200 km / h, noted Stapleton.
According to the developers, a full-fledged hoverbike will have increased maneuverability and stability in flight, will be able to be controlled by the operator and automatically follow the previously laid flight route or simply fly behind the person controlling it, like many modern unmanned aerial vehicles. The device can carry a significant load, while it is easily transported, takes up little space. Such flying motorcycles can be transported on C130 transport aircraft or ships, says Grant Stapleton, director of marketing and sales for Malloy. Many such devices can be located near the place where they will be needed or very quickly and easily launched right there, he noted.
According to the developers, the low price and practical dimensions allow using hoverbikes for rescue operations, as well as quick response measures and cargo delivery to hard-to-reach areas. Mark Butkevich from SURVICE at the Le Bourget Air Show noted that the Pentagon is really interested in this technology due to its multi-purpose use. With the help of a new type of transport, the military will be able to effectively move soldiers through difficult terrain, as well as use them for reconnaissance, air support and cargo transportation. The commoners can only hope that the air motorcycles will retain the status of dual-use technology and be able to find their niche in the form of a civilian vehicle.
It is worth noting that Malloy Aeronautics is not the only company that works in this direction. The American company Aerofex is also working on the creation of air motorcycles. The release of the commercial version of their development, they planned for 2017 year, while the price of the device was to make 85 thousands of dollars. The American company from California declared much more modest characteristics than their competitors from England. The Aero-X hoverbike developed by them, designed to carry two people, will be able to float above the ground at an altitude of up to 3,7 meters at a maximum speed of 72 km / h, allowing owners of devices to freely go without roads.
Information sources:
http://www.gazeta.ru/tech/2015/06/24/6852621/pentagon-will-consruct-hoverbike.shtml
http://rg.ru/2015/06/24/hoverbike-site.html
http://www.popmech.ru/artefact/46678-robot-letaet-verkhom-na-kvadrokoptere
http://www.hover-bike.com
The author of the concept of a flying motorcycle was the Australian engineer Chris Malloy, who hoped to create a civilian version of the hoverbike and release it into mass production. At the same time the price of one motorcycle would be 40-60 thousand dollars. At the same time, he announced the collection of funds for the launch of the series, but the announced campaign gave deplorable results. Therefore, it is not clear at present whether work will continue on creating a civilian model, or whether the developer will concentrate all his efforts on creating a military version of the machine together with SURVICE Engineering, which works in the field of research and development of military technologies.
It is worth noting that initially the creators of the flying motorcycle promised to achieve impressive performance for their cars. The altitude of the hoverbike should be up to 3 kilometers, and the speed will be up to 278 km / h. At the same time, the flight range on one fuel tank should be 150 km, but the developers allow the possibility of installing an additional mounted attachment tank. As explained by the US military, the Pentagon has expressed interest in Hovierovka, since such machines are universal. Flying motorcycles can be an effective means of conducting aerial reconnaissance and surveillance, they can also move soldiers over difficult terrain. In addition, flying motorcycles have increased maneuverability compared with the same helicopters.
Initially, there was no talk of any military use of the new mode of transport. When a few years ago, an engineer from Australia, Chris Malloy, promised on the Internet to create a personal air vehicle that could be controlled as easily as a conventional motorcycle, it was purely about civilian technology. It is worth noting that the Australian and English engineers have been working on the project of their air motorcycle for more than two years. At the same time, they talk about the serious advantages of hoverbikes and full-size drones for military use in front of helicopters. In particular, they are safer, their survivability in combat conditions is higher, since they can fly without human control and be controlled remotely. And the cost of these devices is much less, the same can be said about their maintenance.
From the first stages of development, when the main element - carbon screws - were made by hand, and their core was filled with foam plastic, the technology significantly evolved. The design with two screws turned into a quadrocopter. The solution, which consists of rotating and overlapping rotating blades, is designed to reduce the weight and area of the structure. At the same time in the folded state for transport quadcopter takes up even less space.
At one time, to prove the viability of its concept, Malloy Aeronautics built a model in Hampshire that was 3 times smaller than the original device. At the same time, it was equipped with a pilot model in order to demonstrate the ability of a hoverbike to carry a person, already then in the head Robot-pilot camera was mounted. It was the demonstration of this model that allowed the company to attract funding for further development. The created model of the device could stably perform the required maneuvers at different heights. At the same time, the full-size prototype of the device was tested only with safety cables that kept it at a low height.
Developed to scale 1: 3 from a full-sized sample, the model was given the designation Drone 3 Hoverbike. It was an unmanned aerial vehicle, which could be controlled in the traditional way using a remote control. Even then, the developers stated that the manned quadcopter they were creating would receive stable handling, good maneuverability and carrying capacity, becoming at the same time a unique vehicle of its kind. In 2014, development engineer Grant Stapleton said that hoverbike, in fact, is a helicopter - it takes off, flies and lands like a helicopter. The machine is designed to fly at an altitude of more than 2,5 km at speeds up to 200 km / h, noted Stapleton.
According to the developers, a full-fledged hoverbike will have increased maneuverability and stability in flight, will be able to be controlled by the operator and automatically follow the previously laid flight route or simply fly behind the person controlling it, like many modern unmanned aerial vehicles. The device can carry a significant load, while it is easily transported, takes up little space. Such flying motorcycles can be transported on C130 transport aircraft or ships, says Grant Stapleton, director of marketing and sales for Malloy. Many such devices can be located near the place where they will be needed or very quickly and easily launched right there, he noted.
According to the developers, the low price and practical dimensions allow using hoverbikes for rescue operations, as well as quick response measures and cargo delivery to hard-to-reach areas. Mark Butkevich from SURVICE at the Le Bourget Air Show noted that the Pentagon is really interested in this technology due to its multi-purpose use. With the help of a new type of transport, the military will be able to effectively move soldiers through difficult terrain, as well as use them for reconnaissance, air support and cargo transportation. The commoners can only hope that the air motorcycles will retain the status of dual-use technology and be able to find their niche in the form of a civilian vehicle.
It is worth noting that Malloy Aeronautics is not the only company that works in this direction. The American company Aerofex is also working on the creation of air motorcycles. The release of the commercial version of their development, they planned for 2017 year, while the price of the device was to make 85 thousands of dollars. The American company from California declared much more modest characteristics than their competitors from England. The Aero-X hoverbike developed by them, designed to carry two people, will be able to float above the ground at an altitude of up to 3,7 meters at a maximum speed of 72 km / h, allowing owners of devices to freely go without roads.
Information sources:
http://www.gazeta.ru/tech/2015/06/24/6852621/pentagon-will-consruct-hoverbike.shtml
http://rg.ru/2015/06/24/hoverbike-site.html
http://www.popmech.ru/artefact/46678-robot-letaet-verkhom-na-kvadrokoptere
http://www.hover-bike.com
Information