A startup with its headquarters in Bengaluru is competing to provide India's armed forces with jetpacks. The Indian Army is investigating jetpack suits that would allow its soldiers to fly in order to increase personal mobility in difficult terrain.
The Bengaluru-based Absolute Composites jet suit would be among several that the Indian Army considers for purchase. Currently, the only Indian business producing the jetpack suit is Absolute Composites.
The Indian Army published a Call for Proposals for 48 jetpack suits in January. Globally, armed forces are incorporating jetpacks to enable rapid troop movement during emergencies.
The Bengaluru-developed jetpack can fly for up to 8 minutes and has a range of 10 kilometers. It is powered by diesel. The pack has a 40-kilogram weight limit and an 80-kg payload capacity. Although it can fly at a height of 3,000 meters, between 10 and 20 feet above the ground is where it performs best.
TheSwipeUp quoted Raghav Reddy, Managing Director of Absolute Composites, as saying, "The jet suit is suitable for situations when there are impediments on the ground. It will not be ideal to lose energy only ascending to a high altitude because of their poor endurance.
British national Richard Browning, the company's founder and primary test pilot, is the inventor of the jetpack suit. Absolute Composites was motivated by his work to develop a jetpack outfit. To meet local needs, the Indian company improved and updated the machinery.
Yesterday, Richard Browning the founder of #Gravity Industries gave a demo of their #Jetpack system to the Indian Army in #Agra.
— Indian Aerospace Defence News (IADN) (@NewsIADN) February 28, 2023
The #IndianArmy has issued the requirement to procure 48 such systems.#IADN pic.twitter.com/0dcEW3hjyb
