The Flying Jeep: Britain’s Wild WWII Experiment
When World War II erupted, paratroopers quickly became a crucial tool for striking deep behind enemy lines. But once on the ground, they faced a serious problem: no mobility. Vehicles couldn’t be dropped easily, airstrips were often unavailable, and parachutes made from scarce silk weren’t practical for delivering jeeps.
That’s when Austrian-born engineer Raoul Hafner stepped in with a bold idea — give a Jeep wings.
From Rotor Kites to Rotabuggy
Hafner was already experimenting with rotor kites, essentially gliders with unpowered rotary blades that could be towed into the air and released to descend slowly. The British Air Ministry saw potential in his work and encouraged him to scale it up. Instead of just dropping men, why not drop vehicles too?
His solution became the Hafner Rotabuggy — a Willys Jeep fitted with a giant 47-foot rotor, a tail rudder, stabilizers, and lightweight acrylic doors. To the surprise of many, this bizarre contraption actually worked.
Testing the Flying Jeep
First assembled in 1943, the Rotabuggy could be towed behind a bomber or truck before gliding down to its landing zone. Tests proved it was remarkably tough: dropped from nearly eight feet, it survived without damage. When towed by a truck, it managed stable glides at speeds up to 45 mph.
In theory, it could reach an airborne speed of nearly 150 mph and land safely at just 36 mph. Painted in camouflage with Royal Air Force roundels, it looked like something out of a science fiction magazine — but it was very real.
Why It Never Took Off
Despite working as advertised, the Rotabuggy never saw combat. By late 1944, Allied forces were using large gliders like the American Waco CG-4, which could carry jeeps inside their fuselage. These proved far safer and more practical than trying to strap rotor blades to a truck.
Still, the Rotabuggy remains one of the strangest and most imaginative experiments of WWII aviation. It was a daring attempt to solve a real battlefield problem, even if history passed it by.
