--- title: "The Air Force’s Flying Car Looks… Incredibly Goofy" description: "The Air Force just showed off a prototype of a flying car — and it looks, well, like something out of an early 2000s Pixar animation movie." date: "2020-08-24" modified: "2020-08-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/the-air-forces-flying-car-looks-incredibly-goofy" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "air force" - "flying car" - "flying cars" - "lift" - "the digest" --- # The Air Force’s Flying Car Looks… Incredibly Goofy ![The Air Force just showed off a prototype of a flying car — and it looks, well, like something out of an early 2000s Pixar animation movie.]() *\Image: Air National Guard/Sean Kornegay\* ## The Jetsons X Air Force The Air Force just [showed off a prototype]() of a flying car that may soon become its newest aircraft of choice — and it looks, well, like something out of an early 2000s Pixar animation movie. The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, called Hexa, took to the skies during a August 20 test flight in Texas, [*Task and Purpose* reports](). ## Agility Prime The company behind it, Texas-based LIFT Aircraft, [announced in April]() that it's partnering with the US Air Force as part of a "groundbreaking initiative" called Agility Prime, a program meant to "accelerate the commercial market for advanced air mobility vehicles." It's part of the US military's greater efforts to add flying cars to its arsenal within the next decade. "We want to have 30 vehicles in the Air Force by 2030," Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters during a video call in April, as [quoted by *Military.com*](). https://youtu.be/BSbynmTcAYk ## The Hexa The Hexa features a whopping 18 independent rotors and can fit a single occupant. It can even float on water thanks to its four perimeter buoys, depending on the configuration. LIFT is advertising it as a flying car [meant for anybody](), not just those holding a pilot's license. All you need to do, they say, is operate a 3-axis joystick. A " triply redundant autopilot computer" takes care of the rest, according to the company's website. **READ MORE:** [This could be the Air Force's future flying car of choice]() \[*Task and Purpose*\] **More on flying cars:** *[Japan Plans to Commercialize Flying Cars by 2023]()* ## 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]()