Learn more about the AFWERX High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HSVTOL) Concept Challenge, including challenge objectives, guidelines, and evaluation criteria. Help the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) conceptualize, design, and develop state-of-the-art High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HSVTOL) solutions to achieve optimal agility in austere environments.
In partnership with the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), AFWERX recently launched the HSVTOL Concept Challenge, a crowdsourcing effort aimed at advancing solutions to achieve optimal agility in austere environments. Experts in business, academia, and government are invited to participate in the call for submissions, which is open now through June 22, 2021. Following the June 22 submission deadline, a panel of subject matter experts will select top-tier candidates for inclusion in the challenge showcase, a multi-day event dedicated to solution refinement, networking, and collaboration.
The near-term challenge goal is to produce an HSVTOL conceptual framework that maximizes the trade space of speed, range, survivability, payload, size, and flexibility to carry out missions across the full spectrum of conflict and political scenarios. Critical mission profiles include Infiltration and Exfiltration of Special Operations Forces (SOF) and Equipment; Personnel Recovery; Aeromedical Evacuation; and Tactical Mobility.
Submissions will be accepted in two overarching categories: Integrated Solutions applicable to system conceptualization, design, and architecture; and Subsystem Solutions, such as advanced propulsion and novel technologies. Relevant capabilities and technologies for each focus area are outlined in the challenge statement.
Unlike the standard government contracting process, which can span multiple years, solutions vetted through the AFWERX Challenge model move from selection to formal agreement in 12 weeks, on average. Since launching the program in 2018, AFWERX has awarded more than $59 million in DoD contracts and investments. To date, these efforts have enabled the development of 38 solution prototypes.