Nikola Tesla has long been considered one of the most brilliant inventors in history. While many of his contemporaries dismissed the idea of flying machines in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Tesla was already thinking far ahead. In 1928, he patented a design that would later be recognized as a flying saucer—what we now call a UFO.
This revolutionary design didn’t rely on traditional propulsion systems. Instead, Tesla envisioned a craft powered by electromagnetic forces, which are vastly stronger than gravitational forces—by a factor of 2.2 x 10³⁹. Had it been built, Tesla’s saucer could have been the fastest and most advanced aircraft of its time.
What makes this invention even more fascinating is its uncanny resemblance to modern UFO sightings. Witnesses have described UFOs with similar internal structures and propulsion systems. Could Tesla have been influenced by extraterrestrial intelligence, or was he simply a visionary ahead of his time?
Tesla’s craft was a blend of a helicopter and an airplane, often described as a flattened torpedo. Its interior featured circular channels around the center, housing high-frequency, high-voltage coils—based on his famous invention, the Tesla Coil.
The propulsion system was based on a phenomenon known as magnetohydrodynamics—first observed by Michael Faraday. This principle involves generating a magnetic field by applying alternating current to metal plates, which then produces thrust in a direction perpendicular to both the magnetic and electric fields. This method required no fuel, relying purely on the manipulation of electromagnetic fields and space-time interaction.
Unfortunately, Tesla lacked the financial support to bring this radical invention to life. But if he had succeeded, the world’s understanding of flight and energy might be vastly different today.
Tesla once said that air travel would shape the future—and he was right. Perhaps one day, his vision of a flying saucer may also become reality.
