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Terrorists have taken charge of a commercial ship.
Their goal? To blow it up and sink it in the Suez Canal — blocking the most important international trade route in the the world.
Unbeknownst to them, in the dead of night, a Special Forces silent boat is shadowing their every move, just out of sight.
Suddenly, four jetsuit-wearing special ops soldiers take off from the nearby pursuit boats, and head toward the ship, commandeered by terrorists.
Two Ops land on the bow, and two on the stern — they doff their gear and quickly begin moving toward their targets. Eliminating them silently, one by one.
While that’s a scenario that has not happened — it could happen. And as for the jetsuit-wearing special ops soldiers, it is happening.
In a new video released by jetpack maker Gravity Industries, a jetsuit-wearing special ops soldier from the Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Force can be seen boarding a ship — by flying there from a nearby pursuit vessel.
According to a report in The_Byte, it’s a spectacular demonstration of Gravity Industries’ flying technology.
Rather than having to pursue and approach the ship in the tailing vessel, the jetpack-enhanced soldier simply takes to the skies and effortlessly lands on the deck of the ship — in a fraction of the time boarding would have taken otherwise.
Gravity has quickly emerged as one of the biggest players in the jetpack field over the last few years, offering its jetsuit technologies to first responders and military forces around the world, the report said.
It has even allowed journalists at CNBC to give the suit a test drive, albeit with safety tethers.
The company’s “Iron Manâ€-like jetpack suit combines an impressive 1,050 horsepower of thrust, from four mini jet engines strapped to each forearm, with the dexterity and balance of its wearer, the report said.
Thanks to that immense power, Gravity Industries founder Richard Browning was able to reach the “fastest speed in a body controlled jet engine powered suit,â€Â according to the Guinness Book of World Records, back in 2019.
The company is set to release its successor to its jetsuit, a fully stabilized flying autonomous motorcycle called “Speederâ€Â that can seat up to two individuals and reach speeds beyond 250 mph, the report said.
“Right now, we are stuck in cars, long distances require driving to an airport and getting on a plane,†famed venture capitalist Tim Draper, early investor for both SpaceX and Tesla, told CNBC in December after announcing he had made major investments in Gravity Industries.
“Imagine you can just strap on a jetsuit and take off and fly where ever you want to go,†he added.
“I think [vertical take off and landing] technology is what we are all looking for.â€
As it turns out, flying around with a jet-pack is just as cool as you thought it might be.
“It’s like that dream of flying you have sometimes,†Richard Browning, the founder and chief test pilot at Gravity Industries, maker of the flying suit, told Robb Report.
“You are free to go wherever your mind takes you, there are no ties of gravity and yet you also aren’t a passenger sitting on or in a flight machine. You’re flying as a human.â€
The jetsuit uses two miniature jet engines on each arm and a fifth one on the back pack.
Flying it is “intuitive,†says Browning, but still requires training.
“It’s a human flying, not a human sitting on a flying machine,†he says. “Being on the right side of that magic line is key. It’s a fundamentally different beast when your body is being used as the flight structure and your brain is the balance structure.â€
At Goodwood Estate, near Gravity’s headquarters outside London, the company has launched more than 60 clients, the Robb Report reported.
It also has plans to expand to a private jet terminal in LA, once Covid-related travel restrictions are lifted.
“We are also developing a tethered, electric version for even more accessible, widespread training and experiences,†he added.
Rather than selling to individuals, Gravity has focused on leasing suits to the rescue, military and entertainment industries, the Robb Report reported.
“It would be a bit like selling Indy cars,†Browning says, though he also admits that “a couple of our clients were very driven to commission their own and having seen they can fly with us, we proceed.â€
The suits cost US$440,000, but stay at Gravity’s facility, where the owners can visit to fly in them.
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