Though the visions laid out by the developers of new electric vertical-lift aircraft have been fairly mundane so far—air taxis, cargo delivery—it was a matter of time before someone started sexing up those flying car fantasies. How soon before they appear in a Bond film? When will the military get their mitts on them?
Though the first remains an open question, military interest came into clearer focus this week. The US Air Force, as part of its program to make sure that electric aviation doesn’t go the way of small drones and migrate to China, said it is seeking to work with developers to help jump-start eVTOL technology for both commercial and military use. While the proposal doesn’t come with any funding or direct R&D support, the Air Force is offering to assist the aircraft through the testing and certification necessary for eventual use by military and government buyers.
“From an Air Force perspective, there are these new flying things that are happening and we want to make sure that we are potentially a part of that—if it provides additional capability for our operators and the potential taxpayer savings,” said Air Force Col. Nathan Diller, the leader of the program, called Agility Prime, during a media round table.
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This is the first initiative of Agility Prime, launched in the fall to ensure that innovations in electric aviation orig