US Air Force Was Once Developing A Supersonic Flying Saucer
You know all those people who swear they saw a flying saucer or UFOs in the middle of the 20th century? Well, they could have actually been onto something, as the US government has just declassified documents that show that the Air Force was developing a flying saucer in 1956. “Project 1974” was intended to hover through the air at supersonic speeds. Wow!
The idea was that the flying saucer would rotate an outer disk at high speeds, with power coming from jet turbines. Small shutters on the edge would allow for maneuvering, and it could even take off and land vertically. The saucer would be able to fly as high as 100,000 feet, go 1,000 nautical miles, and fly between Mach 3 and Mach 4 (2,300-3,000 mph). In short, this thing would be a pretty high-tech piece of equipment.
Sadly, the design wasn’t followed through, either because it didn’t work well or wasn’t efficient. Still, it’s cool to think of the possibilities, because flying saucers have always been and always will be cool. Someday, science will catch up with some of our more fantastical science fiction fantasies.
Source: ExtremeTech