The vehicle will be able to travel 280 miles by land and air, using vertical take-off and landing to increase access to difficult terrain.

US troops in war-torn Afghanistan may soon get a new mode of transportation as top military bosses are considering procuring advanced vehicles that can also fly over the battlefield to avoid enemy attacks.

When on ground, the vehicle would function just like a big four-wheel-drive Humvee. But it would also be able to take off like a helicopter and fly away from trouble or to avoid enemy road blocks, the Telegraph reported. About £41 million have already been given to US firm Terrafugia which is developing the world’s first flying car, said the report.

According to the report, the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants to develop a four person flyable and road worthy vehicle. Terrafugia, which has developed the Transition Flying Car, is the largest subcontractor to one of two winning teams. The vehicle, known as the Transformer , or TX, would have what the project bosses describe as “unprecedented capability to avoid traditional and asymmetrical threats while avoiding road obstructions.”

Intended missions would include medical evacuation, avoiding improvised explosive devices , remote resupply and taking special forces into the battle zone. The vehicle will be able to travel 280 miles by land and air, using vertical take-off and landing to increase access to difficult terrain. It will also have automatic flight controls so it can be flown by non-pilots .

Phase one of the five year, three-phase programme will focus on conceptual design of both a prototype and a production vehicle. Phases two and three will focus on the design and manufacture of the prototype, which could be ready as early as first quarter 2015.

Via Times of India