Agreement reached on the sale of the aircraft to the armed forces
California-based JetPack Aviation (JPA) is one of the world's first true jetpacks. This long flight time device has been advertised primarily for entertainment.
David Mayman, founder, CEO and chief pilot of JPA, was the chief operator of his brainchild - he himself was happy to demonstrate the work of jetpacks. The company assumed that from pure entertainment, the flying device would someday turn into a commercial product: the JB series was being prepared for sale.
On Monday, it turned out that the sale had already taken place - and the JPA client was not a private individual, but, as stated in a press release, an unknown military customer from Southeast Asia. This customer will receive two JB-12 backpacks, for each of which $ 400,000 will be paid. The delivery is expected to be made in the next six months.
The JB-12 is a new model. Until it was shown to the public, there were only images. In the video, the testers fly with the previous model, the JB-11. But as Mayman explained, the new model, like the JB-11, uses three small turbocharged Jetcat engines. A threefold safety factor, according to the creators, will give pilots an excellent chance to survive if one or two engines fail. The JB-12 on-board computers are likely to become significantly more powerful and more reliable than the JB-11.
The JB-12 weighs 48 kg, has a maximum thrust of 2.34 galantines, and is capable of speeds up to 193 km / h.
“The customer agreement confirms that our JB-12 JetPacks provide the military with exceptional capabilities for a wide range of missions in the air,” Mayman says. The customer is interested in our jetpacks. This deal is a significant step forward for the JPA, comments Joseph Marc Blumenthal, as the development program meets the military needs. "