In 1956, the United States Air Force (USAF) developed what is known as “Project 1794”. It contemplated the design and development of an aircraft unlike any known airplane or helicopter, designed to be capable of vertical takeoff and landing. It was capable of reaching speeds of three to four times the speed of sound, at altitudes of up to 30,000 meters. These are the documents declassified by the National Archives and Records Administration.
Not a few claim to have seen a 'flying saucer'. There are thousands of photographs of supposed saucer-shaped aircraft - many of which are obvious frauds - and it is possible that some correspond to prototypes developed by the major powers that are either still secret or whose development was abandoned decades ago. However, from time to time, some document related to these developments is 'declassified' by governments and its content reaches the general public. This is the case of the so-called “Project 1794”, which the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States made public a few years ago.
The Design
As you can guess from the photographs, it is the design of an aircraft different from everything we are used to seeing at airports. It has the unmistakable shape of the 'flying saucers' that have been reported so many times around the world, and it was developed in the mid-1950s in the United States by the USAF. According to the authorities, it never became a mass-produced vehicle, but it is known that the project “reached at least the initial research and development phase”, and that it had been assigned to the Canadian company Avro Aircraft.
It seems that - at least on paper - this Cold War flying saucer model was capable of reaching speeds of three to four times the speed of sound (Mach 3 or 4), had a range of about 1,850 kilometers and could reach flight altitudes of up to 30,000 meters above sea level. Only a couple of images and an internal memorandum have been declassified, so details of the project are scarce.
Reflections
However, its mere existence forces us to reflect on the number of similar 'toys' that have been attempted (or built) over the past 50 or 60 years, of which we may never have any news. Project 1794 may be one that was abandoned in the early stages of development, which is why it has been declassified. But it is likely that there are others, more advanced, sleeping in some remote USAF hangar. Don't you think?
