U.S. Army Gets In on Wing-in-Ground Vehicle R&D

In the event of a conflict in the Western Pacific, U.S. forces will need options for deploying and moving supplies to remote islands, like the Batanes north of Luzon or the Ryukyu Islands east of Taiwan. This logistical task will be performed under fire, and the service branches are looking at ways to maximize survivability and minimize odds of interception for transport routes. The effort includes some outside-the-box experimentation, like the U.S. Marine Corps' sponsorship of the Regent wing and ground (WIG) craft or the U.S. Navy's selection of a commercial shipbuilding program for an interisland landing ship. The U.S. Army is getting in on this game as well: it is sponsoring the development of an unmanned WIG cargo craft, designed and built by the Flying Ship Company.

WIG craft are often mistaken for seaplanes, but are different in key respects. As a general rule they cannot achieve higher altitudes, and are designed to glide a few feet above the surface, using the efficiency boost of the ground effect to stay aloft with less fuel consumption. From a regulatory standpoint they are treated as vessels, not as aircraft, and even have their own unique section in COLREGS.

WIG craft have been used for military operations before, but only in limited service in Russia. That may be changing. In addition to the Marine Corps' partnership with Regent, the Army has selected WIG designer Flying Ship Company (FSC) as a winner in its xTechSearch 9 competition. From among a crowded field, Flying Ship was awarded an initial $25,000, with up to $250,000 available in follow-up Phase I SBIR funding for further R&D on a prototype. The firm already holds an SBIR funding award from the U.S. Air Force, so the new addition could augment its development efforts.

Flying Ship Company has a patented design for an unmanned drone WIG craft. Details of its design and capabilities are limited, but it is intended to be highly fuel efficient; capable of operating over water, sand or ice; and useful for the purposes of ship-to-ship logistics and "island hopping." The idea is to enable fast resupply at a wide variety of coastal locations, without introducing a new manned platform.

"The Army recognizes FSC’s solutions as a potential game-changer for resupply, sustainment, and movement of materiel in adversarial environments," said Flying Ship Company Founder and CEO Bill Peterson. "Our patented autonomous WIG platforms are on track to capture share from conventional shipping, helicopter lift, and sea barges, positioning us for outsized returns as the first mover provider of autonomous WIG logistics solutions."