[The Sabbaticus]

Dubai gives its firefighters twin-engine jetpacks to fight skyscraper fires

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By Stan Schroeder
1 day ago

Damn you, firefighters. Not only do you have one of the most-loved professions in the world, now you also get jetpacks?

Dubai, the city known for its skyline — after all, it hosts Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building — signed a deal Monday with New Zealand's Martin Aircraft to equip its fire service personnel with manned and unmanned jetpacks.

See also: Jetpack pilot flies near Statue of Liberty

Martin Aircraft's jetpacks are very different from the jet-propelled wings flown by Jetman over Dubai — they allow for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and are small enough to operate between buildings or in other confined areas inaccessible by helicopters. Their two, 200-horsepower engines give them a top speed of 45mph, and they can operate in altitudes of up to 3,000 feet with a maximum flight time of 45 minutes.

Under the terms of the agreement, Dubai's Civil Defense could get up to 20 jetpacks and two simulators, as well as training and support for its personnel. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. According to the BBC, each jetpack comes at a price of $250,000.

Dubai's firefighters are no strangers to fighting skyscraper fires. In February, the city's 79-floor Marina Torch building caught fire, forcing residents to evacuate. The fire was eventually put out with fire trucks, and no one was seriously injured.


Mashable

The first firefighters in the world to have jetpacks. And they're petro-Arabs.


2015 is the year modernity ended.

[Ganeshas Rat]

Jetpacks were created in 60's, as I remember, nobody just used them because there are no tasks you can more easily do with jet packs than without them.