Back to the Future-style flying taxi start-ups Joby Aviation and Kitty Hawk get $2 million in funding from the US military (but promise 'no weapons' will be added to their vehicles)

• e-mail

Flying taxi start-ups Joby Aviation and Kitty Hawk are being bankrolled by the US military.

The rival companies, which are currently leading the race to build the first self-flying taxis to take to the skies, received $2 million (£1.5 million) in funding from the military last year.

The funds, which were not disclosed at the time, were provided by the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx), a Pentagon-backed organisation founded to help the US military make faster use of emerging technologies.

But despite the involvement of the armed forces, there will be ‘no weapons’ added to the autonomous flying vehicles, it has been confirmed.

Scroll down for video

Kitty Hawk has already started conducting tests for its Cora flying taxi (pictured) in New Zealand, where it has confirmed it will eventually launch its commercial air taxi service

Joby Aviation received $970,000 (£730,890) in funding from the DIUx in January last year, while Kitty Hawk was bankrolled $1 million (£753,495) a few months later, government contracting sites uncovered by The Guardian reveal.

Kitty Hawk, which also receives funding from Google co-founder Larry Page, is developing an experimental pilot-less air taxi, dubbed Cora.

On the website for Cora, the Larry Page-funded firm emphasis the aircraft's role in solving urban traffic problems.

‘Cora is about the time you could save soaring over traffic,’ it reads.

‘Designing an air taxi for everyday life means bringing the airport to you. That’s why Cora can take off and land like a helicopter, eliminating the need for runways.

‘Cora has the potential to transform spaces like rooftops and parking lots into places to take off right from your neighborhood.’

But according to a document from DIUx detailing the personal aerial vehicles funding program, the US military has a very different vision for the future of these autonomous flying taxis.

It reads: ‘These vehicles will … offer a niche capability for specific tactical applications with a low acoustic signature, near instantaneous start/stop, ability to spread an assault force across multiple vehicles, and automated systems.’

Flying cars capable of a vertical take-off were predicted in Robert Zemeckis' 1985 blockbuster film 'Back To The Future'. However, unlike prototype vehicles from the likes of Joby Aviation and Kitty Hawk, the flying car did not rely on drone-like propellers, but a flux capacitor

Cora (pictured above) has a total range of around 62 miles (100 km) and will eventually be summoned to customers using a smartphone app, akin to Uber

The self-piloting aircraft has a wing span of 36 feet (11 m) and is capable of ferrying 400lb (181kg) in passengers and cargo, the company claims 

Kitty Hawk claims its Cora self-piloting aircraft 'has the potential to transform spaces like rooftops and parking lots into places to take off right from your neighborhood'. Pictured: Images of the prototype plane in the latest FAA application 

But despite these ambitions, the US army will not be taking delivery of any all-electric autonomous flying taxis for military operations any time soon.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifications issued for the latest prototypes from both Joby Aviation and Kitty Hawk specify: ‘No weapons may be added to the [unmanned aircraft].’

Joby Aviation and Kitty Hawk are two of several start-ups and established aerospace companies currently competing to develop a self-flying electric vehicle capable of vertical take-off and landing, including the likes of Uber, Airbus and Boeing.

Kitty Hawk has already started conducting tests for its Cora flying taxi in New Zealand, where it has confirmed it will eventually launch its commercial air taxi service.

The small two-seater craft is designed to use self-flying software, which controls its 12 fans to provide lift-off and forward thrust – without the need for a runway.

A portion of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) application filed by Joby Aviation which details where test flights can take place, and specifies 'no weapons' are to be included in the self-piloting vehicles trialled by the compan 

Once airborne, a single rear propeller pushes Cora through the air at speeds of up to 110 mph (180 kph) at altitudes between 500 and 3,000 feet (150 and 910 metres).

Cora has a total range of around 62 miles (100 km) and will eventually be summoned to customers using a smartphone app, akin to Uber. 

The craft has a wing span of 36 feet (11 m) and can carry 400lb (181kg) in passengers and cargo.

Cora has three flight computers that operate independently, meaning it can continue to navigate if one of them fails. There is also a parachute for emergency landings if disaster strikes.

Meanwhile, rival firm Joby Aviation is similarly designing a self-piloting taxi capable of vertical take-off from rooftops and driveways.

The Santa Cruz-based company’s latest prototype – known as the Joby S4 – will purportedly be capable of carrying four passengers over a total distance of 150 miles on a single charge.

In the latest filing with the FAA, Joby does not specify a top speed for the craft, however, it notes that its current chase helicopter, which can fly at 140mph, will not be fast enough for future flight tests with the Joby S4.

Rival Joby Aviation is also designing a self-piloting taxi capable of vertical take-off from rooftops and driveways (pictured). Like Kitty Hawk, it received funding from the US military

Joby does not specify a top speed for the craft, however, it notes that its current chase helicopter, which can fly at 140mph, will not be fast enough for future flight tests of its upcoming prototype, known as the Joby S4

According to previous reporting from Bloomberg, the four-seater will be powered by electric motors and sophisticated control software.

As a result, the vehicle is similar to a cross between a drone and a small plane while 'making about as much noise as a swarm of superbees’.

'If we can build an aircraft which is quiet, safe, and efficient, and you get door-to-door at five times the speed of ground transport, it will radically change life,' Joby Aviation CEO and founder JoeBen Bevirt claimed in a 2015 interview.

'It will have a transformative effect.'

Joby CEO Bevirt believes thousands of all-electric sky cabs will one day shuttle people around cities, soaring above the gridlocked roads below.

Although neither Cora nor Joby S4 has the requisite sensors to detect nearby birds or aircrafts during flight, both are programmed to return safely back to base should their remote control systems fail.

In May, Uber has confirmed plans to co-develop an ultra-quiet rotor for use in a flying taxi with the US army.

Speaking to the Guardian, Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza, a spokesperson for the US defence department, said: ‘DIUx is working with various personal aerial vehicle companies, all of which are selected via a competitive process open to any commercial entity.’

WHAT TYPE OF FLYING TAXIS COULD WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE FUTURE?

Advances in electric motors, battery technology and autonomous software has triggered an explosion in the field of electric air taxis.

Larry Page, CEO of Google parent company Alphabet , has poured millions into aviation start-ups Zee Aero and Kitty Hawk, which are both striving to create all-electric flying cabs.

Kitty Hawk is believed to be developing a flying car and has already filed more than a dozen different aircraft registrations with the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA.

Page, who co-founded Google with Sergey Brin back in 1998, has personally invested $100 million (£70 million) into the two companies, which have yet to publicly acknowledge or demonstrate their technology.

Secretive start-up Joby Aviation has come a step closer to making its flying taxi a reality.

The California-based company, which is building an all-electric flying taxi capable of vertical take-off, has received $100 million (£70 million) in funding from a group of investors led by Toyota and Intel.

The money will be used to develop the firm’s 'megadrone' which can reach speeds of 200mph (321kph) powered by lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide batteries.

The Joby S2 prototype has 16 electric propellers, 12 of which are designed for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), which means no runway is needed.

AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018. Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing

The aircraft takes off vertically, like a helicopter, before folding away 12 of its propellers so it can glide like a plane once it is airborne.  

Airbus is also hard at work on a similar idea, with its latest Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completing its maiden test flight in February 2018.

The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds.

Airbus previously shared a well-produced concept video, showcasing its vision for Project Vahana.

The footage reveals a sleek self-flying aircraft that seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts in similar way to a motorcycle helmet visor.

Airbus Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completed its maiden test flight in February 2018. The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds

Like Joby Aviation, Project Vahana is designed to be all-electric and take-off and land vertically.

AirSpaceX is another company with ambitions to take commuters to the skies.

The Detroit-based start-up has promised to deploy 2,500 aircrafts in the 50 largest cities in the United States by 2026.

AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018.

Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing.

AirSpaceX has even included broadband connectivity for high speed internet access so you can check your Facebook News Feed as you fly to work.

Aside from passenger and cargo services, AirSpaceX says the craft can also be used for medical and casualty evacuation, as well as tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).

Even Uber is working on making its ride-hailing service airborne.

Dubbed Uber Elevate, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tentatively discussed the company’s plans during a technology conference in January 2018.

‘I think it’s going to happen within the next 10 years,’ he said.