French Company Developed a Flying Dune Buggy

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Start-up firm Vaylon hopes to sign up a business partner soon to help fund development and production of a flying dune buggy, an innovative vehicle going through flight trials with the French special operations forces, Chairman Jérôme Dauffy said.

“We are in negotiations, we hope there will be a result in June,” he said. According to Defense News the company is looking to bring in a partner to help raise funds for work on a second prototype and launch production next year.

Video footage of the special forces flying the combination hang glider-dune buggy, dubbed Pegase, will go on display at the Eurosatory land systems trade show, Dauffy said. The prototype will appear on static display, located between the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office and the VIP stand at the exhibition.

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Pegase enters a key phase at the show as the company opens the order book for military and civilian clients, said Francis Rodriguez, business development director.

This is an early sales exercise and Vaylon hopes to enter the formal sales phase in the second half of 2015, Dauffy said. After the exhibition, the prototype will go back to the air base for a further six months of tests. The trials so far have led to modifications to the flying vehicle.