autoevolution
 

Royal Marines Say Jetpacks Are Not Ready for the Battlefield

After we got spoiled to special ops soldiers and royal marines taking to the sky with their jetpacks, some updates coming from the Royal Navy's trial tests are here to sink our ship and tell us that the new technology is not ready to be integrated into the military yet.
Royal Marines Jet Suit Boarding Exercise 7 photos
Photo: Royal Navy
Royal Marines boarding exerciseRoyal Marines boarding exerciseRoyal Marines boarding exerciseRoyal Marines boarding exerciseRoyal Marines boarding exerciseRoyal Marines boarding exercise
Just a few weeks after we saw Dutch soldiers using their jet suits to board a ship, royal marines decided to also test their new toys and executed similar exercises. The demonstration was meant to prove that troops can get on a vessel faster and more effectively.

The patrol ship HMS Tamar and royal marines from Plymouth-based 42 and 47 Commando participated in the trial to determine if Gravity Industries' technology could be used in military operations in the future.

During the boarding exercise, the flight suit tested enabled the Commando Force to experiment with new methods of conducting maritime interdiction operations. It also helped the military forces understand its ability to allow vertical access in hard-to-reach spaces.

"While undoubtedly impressive, experts concluded that the kit is not ready just yet for military adoption," the Royal Navy said in a press release.

Across the ocean, the American military has recently shown interest in jetpack technology, with DARPA exploring different ways to integrate it into various military missions. While the past attempts of equipping the troops with flying suits have crashed and burned, it seems like the Gravity's jet suit trial met the same fate for the Royal Marines.

Although this technology isn't quite ready for military use yet, it shows a lot of potential as it could significantly reduce the time needed for boarding a ship, aiding in combat, or special missions. We didn't get more details as to why the decision was taken. However, we still got to enjoy some cool video footage of Iron-man action at sea.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
press release
About the author: Florina Spînu
Florina Spînu profile photo

Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories