U.S. Army evaluates SkyRunner flying buggy
The U.S. Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps evaluated a dual-mode flying buggy called the SkyRunner during Scarlet Dragon 26-3, an experimentation exercise held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Sept. 16. Soldiers tested the vehicle’s ability to shift between driving and flying in austere conditions at Holland Drop Zone.
The SkyRunner pairs an off-road buggy chassis with a ram-air parachute wing, letting it drive on rough terrain and then take off without a runway. It needs about 450 feet (137 meters) of open ground to get airborne. In the air, the vehicle can climb to a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) at a rate of 465 feet (142 meters) per minute, with a flight range of roughly 120 miles (193 km). On the ground, it can travel up to 240 miles (386 km) on a tank of fuel.
SkyRunner says a new pilot needs about 14 hours of flight instruction before flying the vehicle solo. Once airborne, the controls are simple: a left and right toggle for steering and a throttle pedal for climbing or descending. The buggy uses two separate engines, a Polaris unit for ground driving and a Rotax aircraft engine to turn the rear-mounted propeller in flight.
The company’s current retail price for the SkyRunner runs between $140,000 and $150,000. SkyRunner has pitched the vehicle to U.S. military and government buyers for over a decade, citing potential uses in reconnaissance, resupply, and casualty evacuation in places without roads or landing strips.
Scarlet Dragon 26-3 tested a range of unmanned and manned-adjacent systems alongside the SkyRunner, including a drone mothership built by Modalic and swarms of small unmanned aircraft launched from a single site. The exercise, run by the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, pairs soldiers with industry partners to test emerging technology under field conditions. This was the third iteration of Scarlet Dragon in the current exercise cycle, following events in December 2025 and earlier this year.
The Army has not disclosed whether it plans to buy the SkyRunner or set a timeline for further testing. The Corps has said it will continue evaluating technologies from Scarlet Dragon 26-3 during Scarlet Dragon 27-1 in April 2027, ahead of a larger exercise called Summit Strike at Fort Drum, New York, in September 2027.
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The U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corps evaluated the SkyRunner flying buggy at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on September 16, 2023. The exercise tested the vehicle's dual-mode capabilities in austere conditions, including its ability to transition between driving and flying. The SkyRunner can take off without a runway and has potential applications in reconnaissance and resupply.
- The U.S. Army evaluated the SkyRunner flying buggy during an exercise at Fort Bragg.
- The SkyRunner can operate both on the ground and in the air, needing 450 feet to take off.
- It has a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet and a flight range of 120 miles.
- The Army has not disclosed plans for procurement or further testing timelines.
- The exercise included testing alongside other unmanned systems.