Russian engineers are working with the US Navy to develop what looks like the first functional flying saucer. The craft will be tested in 2007 in Patuxent River, Maryland. The saucer is called the Ekip. http://www.ekip-aviation-concern.com/
500 pounds is the weight for the prototype of this model. The Russian engineers say they flew a 12 ton version of this model in the early 1990s. Curt Weldon, a Republican congressman, saw the Ekip and advocated that the US help out financially.
One stumbling block is that airflow can get distorted on oddly shaped devices. The engineers say they created a vacuum for this. Dr. John Fischer of NAVAIR, says "But if we can make it work, it'll allow for new, radical concepts in aircraft design."
