So much so that GFS Ltd has just landed its first contract – with the big-budget US military looking at ways the city-built space age craft can keep its convoys of troops safe in hostile countries.

The company, based in Padholme Road, put a lot of time and effort into its submission – then waited for months on news of the contract while red tape was sorted out here and in the US.

It signed the six-month technical demonstration deal on February 1, and is now in the process of showing the Americans exactly what its flying saucers can do.

Marketing director David Steel said: "They have appointed a liaison officer from the US Department of Defense and we will be working with him to demonstrate the capability of our craft, in particular its ability to hover over the lead vehicle in a convoy."

After test flights in various simulated weather conditions, in the company's workshop, the military expert will take the test data away for analysis – and hopefully return.

Mr Steel added "We have already talked with them about Phase 2, with regards to scalability, but nothing has been drafted yet."

The deal is a feather in the cap for the company, formed seven years ago to develop and market new forms of flying using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – based on the ideas of inventor Geoff Hatton.

They can take off vertically, hover and land on specified points during fully controlled flights.

The prototypes are small, light and battery powered for ease of operation in the company's workshop, where they are tested. In the future they are likely to be larger and fitted with diesel engines.

As well as potential benefits for the armed forces, the company sees greater possibilities in non-military uses – be it building surveillance or intelligence gathering, disaster search and rescue, bird scaring, crop spraying or even the toy industry.

Founder Mr Hatton, from Peterborugh, said: "By virtue of the shape of it, it is a flying saucer. We have taken science fiction, with flying saucers, and made it science fact. They now exist. It is so exciting that people of that stature can recognise this new method of flying. The potential of it is immense.

"It is something that has evolved and we have got an awful lot of interest around the world. The extent of that interest is demonstrated by the fact that our first contract is from the US armed services. We have got a contract to demonstrate what the capability of this machine is and what it can do for them."

Buoyed by the contract success, the company is also targeting a role with the Ministry of Defence, by involving itself in the MoD Grand Challenge.

The MoD has appealed to science and technology innovators and challenged them to get to grips with some of the dangers facing British armed forces on the front line.

Soldiers patrolling in an urban environment – such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan – face potential threats on all sides.