The United States Army released a video last week showing off a working prototype of its “hoverbike,” a semi-autonomous quadcopter meant to perform the same tasks as a helicopter, but at a much lower price.
The Joint Tactical Aerial Resupply Vehicle, or JTARV, began as a Kickstarter-funded project started by Malloy Aeronautics before being contracted out by the military.
The Army has been working with the Marines to bring this manned (or un-manned) drone bike to life, creating an Amazon-like delivery service for the battleground. The military branch claims its full-size models have a payload capacity of up to 300 pounds and can fly at 60 miles per hour, allowing them to send critical equipment to soldiers in need of resupply.
We first heard about the resupply vehicle back in 2015, when Malloy Aeronautics released a short video showing off a test flight of an early prototype.
We won’t be seeing an official version of the JTARV anytime soon, as the military will continue to beef up its specs before putting it to the ultimate test. Its developers are hoping to increase its range to 125 miles and its payload capacity to 800 pounds.
H/T Engadget