Most of us will never go onto a battlefield. Regardless, some of the stuff that DARPA is reportedly working on is cool, to say the least. Furthermore, military technology sometimes finds its ways into the hands of civilians.

Here are some of the more interesting things that the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working on, according to CNN…

A flying vehicle that can go to anywhere in the world in an hour

DARPA has already tested the HTV-2, a unmanned rocket which goes 13,000 miles per hour which is only able to crash land. It is working on controlling systems which would allow the rocket to safely land its passengers and/or cargo.

A plane/helicopter hybrid

A helicopter has a lot of control but an airplane can go a lot faster. Why not combine the two to create an aircraft with a lot of speed and a lot of control? That is exactly what DARPA and Boeing are working on in their Disc-Rotor program, which is trying to build an airplane with retractable helicopter rotor blades.

An airplane that flies forever

The Vulture program is DARPA’s attempt to create an airborne solar powered vehicle that can stay flying for five years, collecting intelligence and surveillance.

A super fast robot

The FastRunner project is DARPA’s attempt to create a robot that is modeled after the fastest animal with two legs: the ostrich. Exactly what DARPA intends to use an ostrich like robot is information that it is not willing to reveal.