U.S. Army Wants British Inventor's Flying Saucer

Retired hovercraft engineer Geoff Hatton invented a new FLYING SAUCER concept that combines many of the benefits of hovercraft and helicopters, without the downsides. His work has been subsidized in part by the UK Department of Trade and Industry, but then rejected by Britain's Ministry of Defence. Not to worry: The U.S. Army is interested in developing the invention into a pilotless drone aircraft that can monitor battlefields behind enemy lines. The invention is brilliant: Like a helicopter, the propeller spins on top. But like a hovercraft, the blades are largely protected, and won't be destroyed by trees and other objects. Unlike hovercraft, however, Hatton's saucer can fly as high as a helicopter.