An undisclosed Southeast Asian military customer has ordered two JB-12 JetPacks with a total value of US$800,000 from Los Angeles-based JetPack Aviation for evaluation, making it a start-up customer for the new system.
The company hardly provided detailed information on the JB-12 JetPack. The JB-12 JetPack is designed for military use and seems to be derived from the commercial JB-11 JetPack.
The JB-11 weighs approximately 52 kg without load and is powered by six turbojet engines, which have been optimized for vertical flight. The engines are fixed on a wearable frame-three on each side-through vector control of the flight direction of each engine. The top speed exceeds 193 km/h, and the operating limit is approximately 4,572 meters.
Each engine generates approximately 40 kilograms of thrust and is controlled by a proprietary flight management system that automatically balances the thrust between the engines and allows the pilot to maintain control in the event of an engine failure.
According to the pilot’s weight and environmental conditions, JB-11 JetPack can provide up to 10 minutes of flight time.
In comparison, the JB12 JetPack weighs about 47.6 kg and is powered by six turbojet engines, but no more details have been provided at this stage.
JetPack Aviation also offers the twin-turbo jet engine JB-10 JetPack, which has an empty weight of 37.6 kg and a battery life of 8 minutes (also depending on the pilot’s weight and environmental conditions).
Both commercial systems are compatible with kerosene and diesel fuel.
“The approval of this transaction indicates that JB12 JetPack provides [defence] David Mayman, founder and CEO of JetPack Aviation, stated:
“JetPack’s operability, small form factor (that fits into a standard Pelican case), and easy integration with our Speeder platform to complement the JB12’s features are all factors that contributed to this sale,” Mayman added. “This order is an important step forward for us because it confirms that our development plan is meeting military needs.”
Xiao Wu
