Flying truck revealed | video

It is a test mule of what Advanced Tactics calls the Black Knight Transformer, a vehicle that can deliver 2000kg of cargo to hard to reach places.

"Haven’t they got helicopters for that?" You might well ask. Well, sort of. But the reason Advanced Tactics is putting so much work into this odd looking machine is that it also has the ability to drive at up to 112km/h.

Not only that, the Black Night Transformer can also traverse extreme terrain, with independent suspension and considerable ground clearance. Advanced Tactics has released a video of the prototype flying truck hovering a few metres above the ground in order to show the project is making progress.

Its makers claim that, should the Black Knight make it into production, it would be able to rise several thousand feet above the ground. The prototype was nowhere near as advanced to allow for safe flying at such heights. It even had an extension cord hanging from the cockpit, which Advanced Tactics says was there to provide back-up power in the case of a failure.

The Black Knight successfully lifted off, hovered and landed again, using a semi-auto pilot system that controls everything except the amount of power applied, which is instead managed by a human pilot in the cockpit. Eventually, this would be able to be controlled remotely, allowing the unmanned vehicle to drop cargo in hazardous locations without putting any pilot or crew.

The Black Knight has eight rotors, which all have their individual power sources. Early prototypes ran electric motors, then there were petrol versions and the final version will use diesel units. The machine is 9.5m long and 5.8m wide, although the rotors and support arms can fold away for easy transport.

Check out the video of the Black Knight in action on our dekstop site.