Even if one granted the dubious assertion that all the existing kitchen appliance timers and wall clocks are somehow unnecessary and could be replaced with new solar time clocks, how the heck are people with wristwatches supposed to be expected to follow this scheme? It would be impractical beyond belief. And then you would still equally have the issue of all the legacy electronic and IoT devices that will never have their firmware updated. No, not good.

So basically, the Boris Johnson model? =)

I like presidents that don't get covid. Presidents that get covid are looosers.

Despite any personal or political differences, we should all endeavor to show the Trump family the same amount of sympathy and respect that they showed the McCain family.

One thing is certain, Trump will receive more empathy in the coming days than he ever showed for anyone else. Lucky man.

Can you share a source on the Sweden situation you described please? I'd like to share it with some people.

Are you joking about how Slashdot sometimes reposts the same story multiple times?

Detailed answer. Thanks.

If electric is the real motivation, as perhaps it may be, then this article is strange to NEVER mention that once as a motivation for the project. They talk about agility and cargo and personnel capacity and range and speed. But they never mention maintenance, weight, noise, or a strategy to migrate off fossil fuels.

One quibble: thrust-to-weight on motors may be better, but I think that holds only if you are plugged into the grid. If you have to bring your own power supply (batteries), motors are heavier than engines.

No. Why would I?
Ohhhh, you didn't understand what **VERTICAL** takeoff and landing entails. LOL

Try googling "VTOL" instead of "airfoil."
(Airfoil, that's the word you were trying to think of.)

So the only downsides are two critical characteristics of aircraft.
And the only upside is what? Adding a requirement to have a massive charging infrastructure in place in order to deploy aircraft? =)

Why not just make gas powered multicopters if the multicopter design is the source of all the advantages?

Spot on, Carrier.
A solution in need of a problem.

Unless maybe the air force just wants to create a new dependency on having high speed electric charging infrastructure in place anywhere it wants to deploy aircraft?

Yes, air-powered flight doesn't exist at all in a vaccum. LOL

Ah oops. Double post! :|

It's not stated that's a goal, but OK, if true, why electric though? Sure, make a more flyable VTOL design if that's the goal. But why eVTOL?

Is the Air Force running low on gas?
Is it better to require having an electric charging infrastructure in place to be able to deploy aircraft?
Is the delay of battery recharging superior to the rapidity of refueling?

I'm entering my new invention... it's called a helicopter. It meets all the requirements!!! I'm rich, baby!!!

The Air Force apparently wants an ***electric*** helicopter. Can anyone explain what tactical advantage an electric helicopter provides over a gas powered one? Is the Air Force running low on gas? Is it better to require an electric charging infrastructure to be able to deploy aircraft? Is the delay of recharging superior to the rapidity of refueling?

1) Newtonian physics dictates that an equal volume/speed of air must be moved to keep a same weight vehicle aloft. So there is not going to be any lessening of the airflow and air disturbance required by the turbines of an eVTOL. Given that an electric car is heavier than an internal combustion car, an eVTOL might even require more airflow!

2) If sound is presumably the only conceivable differentiator remaining, I suspect that money could be invested into low noise rotor and gas engine designs for helicopters much more easily than creating a whole new vehicle class from scratch.

Need a :FACEPALM: emoji here.