Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
Jet suits are commonly associated with science fiction movies or shows, but high-tech miniature turbine engines have quickly advanced this new type of mobility to become a reality.
Now Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is searching for an Iron Man-style jet suit as per its new solicitation on website Sam.Gov (System for Award Management). DARPA is calling on private industry to deliver jet suits or “Portable Personal Air Mobility System.”
DARPA requests, “these platforms could serve a variety of military missions, enabling cost-effective mission utility and agility in areas such as personnel logistics [and] urban augmented combat.” Some requirements include a range of at least 3.1 miles, can take off anywhere, and assembly in under ten minutes. “Systems may be air deployed to allow for [infiltration] to hostile territory, or ground deployed to allow for greater off-road mobility,” DARPA wrote.
Jet suits have already been well-established technology in the last five years.
British jet suit company, Gravity Industries, unveiled its “flying” medic jet suit in October. The company showed how first responders could use the flying suit, powered by multiple kerosene-fuelled micro gas turbines, to respond to emergency incidents in rugged terrain quickly. Here’s a clip of a mock rescue:
WATCH: U.K.-based company, Gravity Industries, has been working with paramedics in the rural Lake District to test their jet suit's capabilities in emergency situations. pic.twitter.com/AvOHsUgr5C
— NBC News World (@NBCNewsWorld) September 29, 2020
The Royal Navy has also been testing a real-life version of Marvel’s Tony Stark jet suit. The service may use the jet suits “to rapidly swarm and board ships,” according to the U.S. Naval Institute.
#FunFactFriday – The Royal Navy has been testing Jet Suit assault teams to determine if the Iron Man-like suits could be used to rapidly swarm and board ships. U.S. Special Operations Command is also evaluating a jetpack that can reach speeds of more than 200 mph. pic.twitter.com/mo5FoGWkDu
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) October 16, 2020
California-based JetPack Aviation is working on a version of the jet suit that could carry soldiers 200 miles an hour, for up to 10 minutes.
The request also states: “When deployed, the platform will be designed with simplified operations in mind, so that someone unfamiliar with the platform could be educated in its safe and effective use with relatively little training.”
Jet suits are on their way to the modern battlefield and perhaps could be in civilian use before the military.
Knowing how to fly won’t save you from an AK47.
Or a manpad. LOL
there should be better ways to get soldiers to high places aswell as bridge gaps than jetpacking them up or over something and i cant imagine this being useful for anything but either passing rivers seas canyons or something like that on air or lifting soldiers in urban combat up on a high building fast but again there surely are better ways than carrying inflammable material on your back
Maybe soon we shall see swarms of flying terrorists over Syria and elsewhere? With a tank of kerosene on the back and flying into a hail of hot bullets, it could resemble bonfire night up there.
It does show where the US and nato are headed when the first thing they think about when given new technology is to weaponise it and use it to kill other humans. Humans who’s only crime is to talk in a different language or have a culture beyond the grasp of mainstream politicians and jingoists.
Usually, it’s about stealing oil, materials and other assets.
it would make more sense to have a drone that can be used to do exactly this and that fully armed and armored and as soon as you get of the drone you are ready for combat but with the jetpack you have alot of stuff stuck to yourself
throw a couple of navy seals and/or marines and/or rangers into a spent fuel pool of a nuclear reactor and maybe youĺl get “HULK” 2.0
To be sure, get them bitten by spiders as well.
Guess that’s make better option
Mandalorian 1.0 Beta
Another complete waste of time.
Another Western blasphemy
They never shoulda allowed the Disney channel in the officers mess.
What will the jet suit soldier think, when he comes under fire from a point defense system, like the Rheinmetall Skyshield?
“What will the jet suit soldier think, when he comes under fire from a point defense system”; He’ll think maybe this: Ohhh sh*t !! I just sh*t my pants ! I am sooo dead now!
Exactly what I said. Our secret US Special Forces will arrive from our US Military Space Command Centre as flying US Iron Men in dark suits in a rapidly swarm precision attack at night and board any aggression ships from any dictatorship country threatening the American nation and our Allies.
This looks like porn movie for the Pantsir S1
I can see the jet packs to have some utility with quick movements, over difficult terrain and discard. Otherwise, call soldiers flying around the battle field clay pigeons.
Ehh, dunno about these. They developed them back in the 60’s for Vietnam, but found it really easy for enemies to spot them because of the noise. It was abandoned for a reason.
No military should not have these, is very bad and waste of money, but i would like one hehehe