The UK’s Royal Navy and the US Marine Corps are already using jet pack suits in various limited roles, and soon soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces will be following suit. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a Request for Proposal in January for 48 jet pack suits for emergency procurement, which may be used along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China to bolster India’s surveillance apparatus. The suits are being supplied by Gravity Industries, a UK-based company founded by Richard Browning. Revolutionary Quadrupedal Robot Control Technology Unveiled by KAIST Research Team.
How Jet Pack Suits Work
Unlike the jet packs in movies, these suits are sophisticated and require a significant amount of arm strength to maneuver. The pack of a single jet suit is made of smaller units that push air downwards, allowing the wearer to rise. After proper training, the suit becomes second nature and the wearer can go wherever they please.
Becoming a Jet Suit Pilot
Training to fly a jet suit is much faster than learning to fly a plane. Some people can learn to fly the suit in just half a day, although a few weeks of training is usually provided for the military. Gravity Industries has its own training grounds in Goodwood Estate, England, where the training is done on a platform with safety measures, including a long zip wire and water flights.
A New Capability for the Military
Gravity Industries is working with elite special forces around the world, with some in different stages of development. Browning says the jet suits are a new capability, similar to the invention of tanks and helicopters, and new tactics will have to be developed to exploit their capabilities. There has been talk that jet suits could be the next drones in warfare and commercial spheres, and the possibility of using drones with jet suits could increase their efficiency and usability.
In addition to military operations, jet suits hold potential for search and rescue missions in harsh terrain. At a recent NATO Mountain Warfare Rescue Exercise, flights were carried out in jet suits as part of separate rescue and military demonstrations. Browning himself delivered blood plasma to an ‘injured’ soldier in the Slovenian mountains as part of the exercise.