Urban Aeronautics' Cormorant Flying Car Just Landed the 'Today Show'

Sick and tired of waiting in the morning traffic? Israeli tech firm Urban Aeronautics has something better in mind. The company has spent 15 years working on its 1.5-ton Cormorant flying car, which was featured on the Today Show on Tuesday, and it’s nearly ready for release. We first saw footage of the Cormorant back in November, but it appears Urban Aeronautics is hyping up the vehicle on the national news as it gets closer to launch.

The vehicle’s ability to move 1,000 pounds of weight makes it an ideal candidate for military use. The Cormorant is no slouch, either: it’s capable of reaching speeds of up to 115 miles per hour. NBC News reported on Monday that the company wants to sell the vehicle to militaries starting 2020, costing $14 million.

“This flight paves the way forward for the immediate evolution of Cormorant from prototype to near-term production and ultimately commercialization of this groundbreaking technology - for broad applications and markets,” founder Rafi Yoeli said in a November statement, when the Cormorant completed its first successful test flight. “This is the most exciting time in the company’s history and we look forward to accelerating our progress now that the technology is fully proven.”

The machine is capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), a feature that’s being explored as a new development in urban transportation. Uber released a white paper last year detailing its plan to introduce VTOL aircraft as an extra ridesharing option. Traveling from San Francisco’s Marina to downtown San Jose would take just under 15 minutes — currently, the same journey by car takes around two hours.

Watch the Cormorant taking its first test flight here: