Project 1794 – USAF "Flying Saucer" Development

1956 (Project 1794 Feasibility Report)

In the mid-1950s, amid Cold War tensions and early UFO reports, the US Air Force funded Avro Aircraft Limited (Canada) under Project 1794 (also WS-606A/Silver Bug) to develop a radical circular VTOL fighter-interceptor. The 1956 “Final Development Summary Report” (declassified 2012) outlined ambitious specs: Mach 3–4 top speed, over 100,000 ft ceiling, 1,000+ nautical mile range, using Coandă-effect exhaust blown from the rim for lift/thrust—creating a true “flying saucer” shape for potential stealth/psychological advantages.

Wind-tunnel and feasibility work progressed, but aerodynamic instability and control issues led to a drastic scale-down. The resulting prototype, the VZ-9 Avrocar (joint USAF/US Army effort), was a small hovercraft-like disk tested 1958–1961. It could only hover a few feet, max ~35 mph, suffered severe rolling instability (“hubcapping”), and never escaped ground effect—far short of supersonic goals. The program was canceled in December 1961; prototypes are now museum pieces (e.g., National Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio).

Often cited in UFO discussions as evidence the military experimented with saucer-like designs, though fully human-engineered and ultimately unsuccessful. No connection to extraterrestrial tech was found in declassified records.