---
title: "The Air Force Wants to Rescue Troops Using Autonomous Aircraft"
description: "According to a new filing, the Air Force is investigating the development of an autonomous vehicle capable of transporting 2-4 personnel out of danger."
date: "2019-05-15"
modified: "2019-05-15"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/air-force-rescue-autonomous-aircraft"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Self-Driving Vehicles"
tags:
  - "air force"
  - "flying cars"
  - "rescue drones"
  - "the digest"
---

# The Air Force Wants to Rescue Troops Using Autonomous Aircraft

![According to a new filing, the Air Force is investigating the development of an autonomous vehicle capable of transporting 2-4 personnel out of danger.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/air-force-rescue-autonomous-aircraft.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Shutterstock/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Air Rescue

Evacuating troops from enemy territory is difficult and dangerous. But futuristic autonomous aircraft that generate almost no noise could make rescuing personnel far safer in the future.

[According to *Aviation Week*](<https://aviationweek.com/defense/autonomous-air-dropped-vehicles-eyed-rescue?NL=AW-05&Issue=AW-05_20190514_AW-05_658&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2&utm_rid=CPEN1000002522837&utm_campaign=19627&utm_medium=email&elq2=61b04c37a62a4d94967dea6bae124e0f>), the U.S. Air Force is interested in technology that could one day rescue downed pilots and wounded soldiers with autonomous aircraft.

## Personal Air

*The War Zone* [found](<https://www.twz.com/27998/shot-down-the-usaf-now-wants-to-air-drop-you-an-air-taxi-to-fly-you-out-to-safety>) a [request for proposal](<https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/1606067>) for an "air platform" on the U.S. military's Small Business Innovation Research program website earlier this month.

Such a vehicle would need to have the ability to transport "four military personnel with full equipment load totaling approximately 1400 pounds" safely out of harms way.

## Difficult Terrain

The vehicle itself, according to the proposal, would also need to be able to cover 200 miles, cross "desert, jungle, mountainous, and maritime" terrain, and land in an area that's just 50 by 50 feet big. It also would need the ability to be airdropped by larger military aircraft.

Whether anything will come out of the request is uncertain. But judging by the [growing trend](<https://qz.com/1422955/flying-cars-are-really-truly-on-their-way/>) and interest in developing flying cars, it might just turn into something real.

**READ MORE:**[ Shot Down? The USAF Now Wants To Air-Drop You An Air Taxi To Fly You Out To Safety](<https://www.twz.com/27998/shot-down-the-usaf-now-wants-to-air-drop-you-an-air-taxi-to-fly-you-out-to-safety>) \[*The War Zone*\]

**More on flying cars: Study:** *[Flying Cars Could End Up Being Greener Than Electric Cars](<https://futurism.com/flying-cars-greener-electric-cars>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)