Yup, and we’ll call it a light or medium lift helicopter :ok:

There is only one thing worse than exploring the capabilities of crackpot, nonsensical technologies;

not exploring the capabilities of crackpot, nonsensical technologies.

Fascinating read about the development

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/gravity-jetpacks

Amazon & Uber Eats will be all over that in 5 years! :p

Reading some of the above I'm sure cavalry officers in the 1890s were equally dismissive of automobiles, as I suppose prop-jockeys were of jet engines in 1939.

To quote Albert Einstein, "the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination*".

*which in my experience is something the military are not entirely renown for, indeed it is often frowned upon.

Hi all,
These 'jets' are hand controlled and very sensitive.
A normal person can learn to 'fly' with them within a day. What you see on the demos, would take about a week of very intensive training.
They are very noisy and (at the moment), very weight limited - for given backpack size fuel as seen.
Most if not all demos are over water (safety), and have overlaying music.
The heat IR signature would be massive and it's not really that quick and maneuverable.

If any Special Forces/SAR want to have them in stock for future use, then a regular training schedule would have to an ongoing thing - Think about the $$$ for Gravity!!?

If - IF - a shoulder mounted weapon, directed by a helmet eye pupil could be used and triggered by an additional switch in the jet hand module, then it might be a real option to get an operative onboard a sailing vessel safely, with backup on some sort of RHIB soon to arrive!

IMO, until an operator can defend oneself, then the risk to the flyer is enormous.

SAR has issues whereby having a trained 'Jet Man', ready to go who can get there (by car or choppered/flown in), and then 'fly' to the injured person. One would have to cost $ and the time factor of a normal SAR team getting there before 'Jet Man' arrives to do his thing...
If Mr SAR Jet Man is carrying a bag of medical aid, is this Jet Man medically qualified to help?

Gravity has never released any weight-distance-time limits to this AFAIK. Yet the promos have been going for years.
Looks great and futuristic, and I'm sure there's going to an 'ideal' situation whereby it would be a great tool for the military and SAR.
But when? Considering the units that would have to be sold and the constant on going training...

However, IMO for military: If they could get a waist cradle with say 4-6 jets controlled by the head [Think Falcon 9 steerable Titanium fins]
Lean the head back and one would go backwards etc), and one's eye could still be looking a target - and the operator could control a weapon freely, then you really do have a Jet Man flying weapon..
Patent Pending - You heard it here first, from me, ok!

I picture them setting fire to anything they land on, tall grass, oil tankers, plastic/paint. At least they can take off again.

Until you raise your arm to shoot at someone....

It looks so cool! I'd love to have a go...until the engine stopped. You would have one eye glued to the fuel gauge!

The more worrying scenario for me is when one of the turbines lets go and punches a hole through the piece of anatomy that it is attached to.

Or you scratch your bollox..

mine are called bollocks

Considering the speed range involved I would tend to believe that a set of high bypass turbofans (one abeam each shoulder) and a set of Reaction Controls (a la Harrier) might be a much better bet than waving around a bundle of fuel sucking mini turbines with each wrist.

Is this the Fleet Air Arms?

I'd thought some guy in NZ had demonstrated a reasonable personal rotor liftcraft, with respectable endurance. Not as snazzy as jets on the arms, but apparently fairly practical.
No idea whether it has attracted military interest, as this thread shows, there are lots of reasons not to.

Like this?

https://luxurystndrd.com/hirobo-bit-...-320000-video/

Bugger the jetsuit - wot was that beautiful looking black T-bird Harrier he flew past?!!

In respect to stealth, how would a gaggle(?) of these have fared to prosecute the storming of Osama bin Laden's compound?
Let's agree the boys were dropped off 10k from the compound by conventional craft.

Mjb

You mean the Martin Jet Pack. The company closed it's doors in 2019.

Too bad. They seemed to have a reasonable working prototype.
Is there any further news as to what caused them to fail?

I believe the engine out drill is a memory item...