Advanced Tactics Black Knight Transformer (Flying Jeep)

History of Advanced Tactical Black Knight Transformers (Flying Jeep)

Logistics and transportation have been one of the unique challenges that war planners have faced for centuries. The modern era has revealed unprecedented capabilities made possible by advanced technology.

Advanced Tactics, a technology-focused company founded in El Segundo, California in 2007, has developed a dual-role, multi-purpose vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) system called the "Black Knight Transformer." Forward flying and on-road/off-road driving, providing the U.S. military with an all-in-one solution for cargo delivery/casualty recovery to and from hard-to-reach areas. Advanced Tactics markets its Black Knight as "...the world's first road-ready VTOL vehicle".

The concept of Black Knight is fairly simple, giving moving vehicles a helicopter-like quality. For vertical and forward flight, eight piston-driven engines are mounted on a network of struts on either side of the fuselage, with four engines on one side. Each engine drives a two-bladed fixed-pitch propeller.

This combination of properties provides the vehicle with the necessary lift and propulsion, just like a helicopter. On landing, four large wheels act as the chassis, providing the vehicle with on-road/off-road drive components. Power during ground trips is provided by a special Volkswagen.

The "arms" carrying the multi-rotor engines are then stowed along the sides of the craft to limit its width. The hull is usually rectangular, with the cargo hold taking up most of the interior space. Multiple viewports are designed to aid pilot visibility, including a heavy glass-framed cockpit area.

The vehicle's gross weight is in the 4,400-pound range, and its cargo capacity is said to be highly modular to meet mission requirements.

From the looks of it, the Black Knight is an experimental concept car that has done an early hover. Its first flight was recorded in March 2014 as a tethered prototype controlled by a ground controller (the 2,200-pound version known as the "Mini Rider" was flown back in June 2012). The engines are monitored and managed by a digital control system that makes appropriate engine changes during flight. In development since 2010, it is now supported by the U.S.

Air Force Research Laboratory, the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, and the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, each dedicated to this unique battlefield concept. of particular interest.

In its current form, the Black Knight Transformer represents some sort of "proof-of-concept" aircraft/vehicle. The final version will become more "militarized" and likely expand in size and capabilities, possibly more like a military transport helicopter with eight lift engines and heavy wheels.

Black Knight specifications listed in Advanced Tactics marketing materials include 31 feet long, 19 feet wide and 8 feet high. With the arms folded, its length is reduced to 25 feet, while its width is reduced to 8.5 feet.

Reported service is capped at 10,000 feet and maximum ground speed is 70 mph.

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