The Pentagon, In A Tech War With China, Is On Track To Field Its First Electric Aircraft In 2023
Story by Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes Staff • 4h ago
Comments
The U.S. government took a hands-off approach when it came to the development of consumer drones. Now a single Chinese firm, DJI, has cornered more than three-quarters of the worldwide market, and Washington is worried its drones could be a tool for Chinese espionage in U.S. skies.
To avoid a similar mistake and the alarming national security implications, the Air Force’s Agility Prime program has funneled over $100 million since 2020 into another promising but unproven innovation: battery-powered aircraft known as eVTOLs for “electric vertical takeoff and landing,” which a slew of companies are developing for civilian use as air taxis and to haul cargo.
The Air Force has dedicated $3.6 million in its current budget to acquire its first eVTOLs in fiscal 2023. That’s not a lot of money, but it’s a sign of the military’s commitment to the technology. That commitment has helped U.S. eVTOL developers raise billions of dollars and made it more likely that they’ll survive to fight for an eventual civilian market.
“The U.S. Air Force’s involvement attests that these are real airplanes — not toys, not flying cars,” Will Roper, who launched Agility Prime when he served as the Air Force’s procurement chief during the Trump Administration, told Forbes.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/the-pentagon-in-a-tech-war-with-china-is-on-track-to-field-its-first-electric-aircraft-in-2023/ar-AA15BadK?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=7417b42995d84b81ae353ecb60bd2b1f
