Hello, Star Wars: The US military wants to build hover-bikes

Tanks and Jeeps have had a good run, but let's be honest here — adding hover-bikes straight out of Star Wars to the military's arsenal would be pretty much the coolest thing ever.

Though it might sound like science fiction, military-grade hoverbikes could become a reality faster than you think. The U.S. Army Research Laboratory has closed a deal with  Survice Engineering and Molly Aeronautics (MA) to begin creating hover-bike tech for the U.S. Department of Defense, an announcement that was released last week at the International Paris Air Show.

Malloy Aeronautics' existing  hybrid prototype is powered much like a propeller drone, but retains the look of a traditional motorcycle. The lightweight carbon fiber craft has the lift power of a helicopter, and can handle a takeoff weight of nearly 600 pounds. MA also claims that the hoverbike can travel over 90 miles on only one tank of gas, making it an attractive sell for both commercial and military use.

The MA bike is still a work in progress, but it has been tested with a rider aboard, though it was tethered to the ground.

Check out the video below to see the Malloy Aeronautics Hoverbike in action:

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(h/t CNET)