An air cushioned landing system for an air vehicle comprises an inflatable and deflatable skirt (113) in the form of a tube having inner (101) and outer (100) walls. The inner wall defines a central plenum (116) within the skirt, the skirt including gas pockets (130) arranged to stiffen one or more regions of at least one of the inner (101) and outer (100) sidewalls during deflation of the skirt. A gas pocket fan inflates the gas pockets prior to and during deflation of the skirt, wherein the gas pockets are constrained to move from a mutually spaced apart position when the skirt is inflated, to a mutually closely adjacent position when the skirt is fully deflated.

A vehicle for capturing a falling object comprises a plurality of air cushion units, wherein each of the air cushion units is configured to generate a propulsive force to drive the vehicle and a lift force to elevate the vehicle; a linking structure arranged to link the air cushion units together; and a receiver arranged to receive the falling object, wherein the receiver is coupled to the linking structure.

An air supported vessel comprising a basically V-shaped hull with a starboard keel part and a port keel part and with a V-shaped bow, which includes an outer bow support surface, where the basically V-shaped hull has at least one air cushion chamber in a substantial part of the basically V-shaped hull's length below the waterline, and where the air supported chamber is delimited by an air supported chamber ceiling, air supported chamber starboard and port side walls and with at least one aft closing device with an aft threshold that forms an aft delimitation of the air supported chamber and with at least an air supported chamber air intake which, together with the side wall of the air supported chamber in the bow, forms the front delimitation of the air supported chamber.

A hover drone system includes a hull extending from a front end to a rear end and from a first side to a second side; ducted fans integrated into the hull, the ducted fans provide lift and propulsion for the hover drone system, the fans operated by a power source; a first sidewall extending from the first side of the hull; a second sidewall extending from the second side of the hull; and a flexible skirt extending from the front end of the hull and from the first sidewall to the second sidewall; the rear end of the hull is open.