Springfield-Beckley Airport, Ohio. (August 12, 2024): The first time this aircraft flew over California, local authorities received hundreds of 911 calls about UFO sightings. What these startled civilians were witnessing was the maiden flight of the Blackfly, an electric powered super drone being developed for the Air Force. In this photo by Matthew Clouse, Ohio-based defense contractor Modern Technology Solutions Inc. launches its latest creation, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft called the Blackfly. The plane was developed as part of the AFWERX Agility Prime program to accelerate emerging technologies. AFWERX is the innovation arm within the Air Force Research Laboratory charged with translating the newest innovations into tools for America’s warfighters.

This sleek single seat aircraft, which also comes in an unmanned configuration, has eight propulsion motors, four on each wing. It has a V-shaped tail and a streamlined fuselage that gives it an out-of-this-world appearance. The craft takes off vertically, so it needs very little space to operate making it ideal for confined areas. The plane ascends to a comfortable altitude before transitioning from vertical to forward flight. Its engines produce an impressive nine hundred pounds of thrust and the plane has a range of over forty miles. The Blackfly cruises at sixty-two mph and can carry payloads up to 250 pounds. Oddly, the plane lands on its belly assisted by four small, fixed struts on the bottom end of each wing to protect them from hitting the ground.

The Air Force envisions using this unique craft to conduct surveillance and to transport critical materials quicker and with less noise than a traditional helicopter. In case you are interested in owning one, there is a civilian version available at a base price of $190,000.