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Title: Us Air Force’S 1950S Supersonic Flying Saucer Declassified
Source:
Extreme Tech
URL Source: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/ ... nic-flying-saucer-declassified
Published: Oct 9, 2012
Author: Extreme Tech
Post Date: 2012-10-09 12:29:32 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 8716
Comments: 18
Tighten the strap on your tinfoil hat: Recently declassified documents show that the US Air Force was working on, and perhaps had already built, a supersonic flying saucer in 1956. The aircraft, which had the code name Project 1794, was developed by the USAF and Avro Canada in the 1950s. One declassified memo, which seems to be the conclusion of initial research and prototyping, says that Project 1794 is a flying saucer capable of “between Mach 3 and Mach 4,” (2,300-3,000 mph) a service ceiling of over 100,000 feet (30,500m), and a range of around 1,000 nautical miles (1,150mi, 1850km). These images (two more at the end of the story) come from the US National Archives, which is tasked with preserving important records and documents — including declassified military documents. It isn’t clear why it has taken some 64 years for Project 1794 to be declassified, though it does follow on from the declassified news in 2008 that the US government has been monitoring UFO activity for more than 30 years. There are apparently two whole boxes of Project 1794 documents — but only the four images shown here have been digitized. Without a deeper look inside those boxes, we can’t be sure that Project 1794 ever made it off the ground. It’s worth noting that Avro Canada also worked on the VZ-9 Avrocar, though — which is basically the same as Project 1794, but a lot smaller. The Avrocar was originally specified for a max speed of 300 mph and a service ceiling of 10,000 feet — but in practice, it never got more than three feet off the ground or flew faster than 35mph. Despite the Avrocar’s failures, it is clear that the US government was indeed working on aircraft in the 1950s that resembled flying saucers. Suffice it to say, the US might also have been working on flying saucers back in the ’40s, around the same time as the Roswell UFO incident. Ultimately, though, the fact that we use fixed-wing aircraft today is a good indicator that flying saucers, while cool, just aren’t that functional. If flying saucers were somehow faster or more efficient or capable of lifting heavier loads, we would almost certainly see them in a commercial setting. Sadly, while some UFO sightings may have indeed been Project 1794, it’s unlikely that they were anything more than experiments carried out by humans, not aliens. #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } N
As far as we can tell, the supersonic flying saucer would propel itself by rotating an outer disk at very high speed, taking advantage of the Coand effect. Maneuvering would be accomplished by using small shutters on the edge of the disc (similar to ailerons on a winged aircraft). Power would be provided by jet turbines. According to the cutaway diagrams, the entire thing would even be capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). 
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#1. To: Brian S (#0)
Sadly, while some UFO sightings may have indeed been Project 1794, it’s unlikely that they were anything more than experiments carried out by humans, not aliens. LOL. Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of aerodynamics will recognize this article as complete crap. Nice try, Baghdad bri-bri... what's your motivation for posting such obvious trash?
Are you saying this program didn't exist?
Get educated, dipshit.
Not all of us have advanced degrees in aeronautical engineering. Does that mean we can't ask questions? And do YOU have an advanced aeronautical engineering degree?
#5. To: sneakypete (#4)
Hopefully.... not.
Nope. Never claimed to. OTOH, I have a fundamental understanding of aerodynamics, and recognize this article for the complete bullshit it really is. For example, the VZ-9 Avrocar had no external yaw control, which would automatically result in control & stability problems. Were you to bother researching this for yourself, you'd already know that I was correct in my initial response to baghdad bri-bri... All I had to do was look at the picture, to recognize it for wishful-thinking. [BTW, these were two different craft that they played with.... Project 1794 was not the same as Project Y-2, which later became WS606A.] OTOH, the USAF experimented with a variety of different concepts. The flying wing concept was toyed with in several craft, but never made it past the testing stages, due to instability problems. The Vought V-173 Flying Pancake Northrop XB-35 Flying Wing There were others, but I think the point has been sufficiently made. As to Baghdad bri-bri's article, the implication is that "you may have seen flying saucers, but this is what you REALLY saw..." And then deep in the article, oh, BTW, they never actually FLEW, because they suffered from inherent instability... [Like that's a fuckin' suprise.] Thus, the article is disinformation, pure and simple. Again, no surprise... since that's what Baghdad bri-bri does, for his daily bread.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestTighten the strap on your tinfoil hat...
#2. To: Capitalist Eric (#1)
#3. To: Brian S (#2)
#4. To: Capitalist Eric (#3)
Get educated, dipshit.
Replies to Comment # 4. And do YOU have an advanced aeronautical engineering degree?
#10. To: sneakypete (#4)
And do YOU have an advanced aeronautical engineering degree?
End Trace Mode for Comment # 4.
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