As part of the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program to assess how new electric and autonomous aircraft might be deployed for military operations, the Department of Defense recently issued a request for information (RFI) about the cost benefits of eVTOL aircraft. The request was issued by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the Mobility and Training Directorate’s Heavy Airlift Division, with a response deadline of November 4.
The Department of Defense stressed that the process does not constitute a request for proposals from companies. “The RFI is solely for information and planning purposes,” the document states. “This RFI is to better understand the current eVTOL cost benefit.”
The Pentagon wants to evaluate the business case for using eVTOL aircraft in comparison with aircraft currently in the U.S. military inventory. It wants to understand the costs and means of adding eVTOL capability, including purchasing and leasing aircraft or accessing them via service providers.