ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is offering $10,000 to the general public for a conceptual design for a new, dual-role combat vehicle.
The contest, open until early March, is called the XC2V Design Challenge and is facilitated by Local Motors Inc. of Massachusetts.
"From concept to construction, current military vehicle manufacturing processes take several years," DARPA said. "By leveraging the power of the crowd, we can contribute to reducing that timeline significantly.
"Additionally, this opens the aperature to introduce greater ideas and design compilation with a reduction in time and the potential for a better performing vehicle."
DARPA said the challenge asks individual to conceptualize a vehicle body design for two different missions -- combat reconnaissance and combat delivery and evacuation.
"This is an opportunity for service members, race and auto enthusiasts, and those with an interest and talent in engineering, materials, industrial design to support the warfigther by contributing to the future of military vehicle manufacturing, win up to $10,000 and see their design become a reality in the form of a fully functioning concept vehicle." DARPA said.
The challenge opened Thursday. Submissions are due by March 3.
