Moller International Skycar Could Let Army Do More in Afghanistan with Fewer Soldiers

SACRAMENTO (CBS13)
Flying cars may actually get off the ground. A local company is behind the futuristic ride that could change the future of the U.S. military.

"It's so fast that you take full advantage of it," said Paul Moller, president of Moller International.

They're not just for the future anymore. Sky cars are here.

"Since it's a vertical take-off aircraft, which is a key element, you can fly and sit there and hover," said Paul.

Moller International's flying vehicle could save lives in the warzone in Afghanistan

"They have huge potholes and they can't really drive and it's very easy to take a pothole throw a mine in it and cover a little dirt over it," said Paul.

The U.S. Army wants a $5 million grant to test out the invention. Paul says the military model would seat six, have camouflage colors and be decked out in safety gear.

"If you get away from the ground, you get away from setting off those mines and you're in an elevated position; and that's where the power is," said Paul.

Each flying car would cost the army around $1.5 million. For the average citizen the cost is $500,000.

The Sky Car doesn't require any keys. All you have to do is hop in, set your destination, hit the engine and go -- the Skycar does all the rest. But you probably won't see them next you're on the freeway as you need a pilot's license to fly one.

"I would say it's an aircraft that can drive because it really is a good airplane," said Paul.

The Sky Car is as long as an old Cadillac. It so weighs about one ton, so it's even lighter than some cars!

October 08, 2009 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Moller International Skycar Could Let Army Do More in Afghanistan with Fewer Soldiers

DAVIS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Moller International (the “Company”) (OTCBB:MLER) is pleased to announce today that its Skycar technology has gained ground within the military for its 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.

“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. 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.”

About Moller International

Moller International is a fully reporting public company (OTCBB: MLER) that developed and flight-tested a utility or recreational, two-passenger VTOL aircraft called the Neuera™. This was followed by the development and initial flight-testing of a four-passenger VTOL aircraft called the Skycar®. The Skycar® has the potential to provide an airborne alternative to a significant portion of the miles now traveled by automobile. Both aircraft use the Company’s Rotapower® rotary engine, designed specifically for applications requiring high power along with low weight, volume, hazardous emissions, fuel consumption and cost per horsepower.

The Skycar® and Neuera™ have been featured on a number of TV programs including CBS 60 Minutes “Highway In The Sky”, NBC’s Today Show “Today’s American Story”, and History Channel’s “Greatest Movie Gadgets: Then and Now.”

Skycar®, Neuera™ and Rotapower® are trademarks of Moller International in the USA and other countries.