USAF personnel manually operate Heaviside as external pilots through all phases of vertical lift and fixed-wing flight in Palo Alto, California. Credit: US Air Force.

The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) has released a request for information (RFI) regarding the electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs).

The RFI was released by Mobility Flex Procurement, Heavy Airlift Division assigned under AFLCMC’s Mobility and Training Directorate.

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Issued on 6 October, the RFI seeks to understand eVTOLs’ maturity for likely fielding in the near-term.

It is being led by the Programme Executive Office for Mobility and Training Aircraft.

The RFI primarily aims to assess the use of eVTOLs for business purposes, such as transporting distinguished visitors (DV) and conducting training range logistics support tasks as a supplement for the available Department of Defense’s (DoD) capabilities.

The eVTOLs will be used to transport military personnel in/around/between urban areas.

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According to RFI, some common requirements for DV transport include around five to 30 hours of flight per month, while the vehicle should be capable of carrying three to six people and their belongings weighing up to 200lb per person.

With this RFI, Mobility Flex Procurement further aims to compare the runway/road independent eVTOLs with other traditional air transportation assets in terms of expenses ad basic capability metrics.

This move will also help the DoD to explore different aspects of acquiring this transport capability, either by purchase/lease or obtaining eVTOLs as a service.

Besides, the US Government is seeking to explore possibility of aligning commercial operating locations with the US Air Force’s squadrons, that will allow eVTOLs’ use for DV transport to locations that not easily accessible, such as desert.