But Company Has Been Trying To Make It Work For 30+ Years
Moller International, which has reportedly been working on a
"flying car" for more than 30 years, said Thursday that its Skycar
technology is gaining ground within the military for potential use
in high-tech, demanding battlefield applications like those in
Afghanistan. “Afghanistan is not Iraq,” stated
Lieutenant Colonel James Thomas, 304th SB, 3rd Expeditionary
Sustainment Command. “The MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush
Protected) vehicle that turned the tide of battle in Iraq will have
much less impact in Afghanistan,” he continued in a recently
issued white paper entitled Winning an Asymmetric War with Skycars.
This report, directed to the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA), spelled out the numerous advantages the Skycar
aircraft could offer the military in its effort to win the war in
Afghanistan.
Moller Skycar Military
Concept
“Poor and unimproved roads and rugged terrain severely
limit the use of the MRAP. The Moller Skycar provides a more cost
effective, highly maneuverable, lethal and safe platform for the
21st century soldier to dominate and win in an Asymmetric Warfare
Environment. The Skycar will become the MRAP vehicle of
Afghanistan. The ability to safely and rapidly employ soldiers on
the battlefield enables us to exercise economy of force on the
battlefield, doing more with fewer soldiers.”
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas is not the first voice within the
military to suggest the use of the Skycar in improving
maneuverability on the battlefield. In an article titled A
Revolutionary Vehicle for the Future, Colonel Larry Harman, then
Vice Director of the Combat Service Support Battle Laboratory at
Fort Lee, Virginia, discusses the Skycar’s military version
referred to as the LAMV (pronounced “lam-vee”), or
light aerial multipurpose vehicle.
“(The) LAMV will benefit the Army’s battlefield
distribution concept tremendously because it will be able to move
commodities rapidly when and where they are needed across a widely
dispersed battle space. Both air and ground main supply routes
(MSR’s) would exist throughout the battle space,” he
goes on to say.
“Without any doubt, this technological innovation will
succeed internationally in the private, commercial, and military
sectors," Harman added. "I hope that the U.S. Army will be the
first army in the world to embrace and exploit this technology. But
sooner rather than later, this aerial vehicle technology will
affect all of our lives. It is just over the horizon.”
But Moller has its detractors as well. The company has been
touting a flying car for more than 30 years, and has by some
reports raised and spent tens of millions of dollars, producing no
more than a prototype that achieved a tethered hover about 15 feet
above the ground. In 2002 the company was the subject of an SEC
complaint, which stated "From at least 1997 until October 2001,
Paul S. Moller ("Moller"), a university professor and inventor,
sold unregistered shares of MI stock directly to the public,
raising approximately $5.1 million from more than 500 investors."
At the time of the complaint, the SEC said "In reality, the Skycar
was and still is a very early developmental-stage prototype that
has no meaningful flight testing, proof of aeronautical
feasibility, or proven commercial viability."
Under the tab "Purchase" on the Moller International website is
simply a page that explains "Moller International is currently not
taking deposits on aircraft." So, while Lt. Colonel Harman says the
skycar is "just over the horizon", others remain very skeptical of
the ability of Moller International to produce a product.