Source: Gravity Industries
Last week, the British navy went full-on James Bond mode and tested a jetpack in the field. The footage is truly a sight to see.
The jetpack in focus, Gravity Industries’ Daedalus, can fly for just a few minutes at a time…
… But it’s been years in the making
In 2016, 41-year-old veteran Richard Browning built the original suit at his home in Salisbury, England.
The man could be Tony Stark’s British cousin:
- As an oil trader for BP, he quickly turned a ~$27.8k GPS ship tracking system into a ~$69.5m revenue stream.
- One of his grandfathers was the CEO of a helicopter company, the other a wartime pilot, and his father an aeronautical engineer.
Gravity got a boost after Browning was asked to give a TED talk the same day as Elon Musk and the pope in 2017.
Tesla and Twitch investor Tim Draper invested $650k after seeing Browning fly in a parking lot — the terms were signed on the back of a $100 bill.
There are uses outside of looking like Iron Man
Gravity’s $480k+ suits could serve a variety of functions:
- Military: The US military’s research arm (DARPA) is taking submissions for a potential $1.5m jetpack contract
- EMS: Gravity has tested emergency rescue scenarios in the mountains of Northern England
- Racing: Gravity has plans for a global race series with the likes of Formula One
The space is getting hotter
Pre-pandemic, Gravity’s primary revenue stream was live flight shows, where it charged up to $139k a pop. To date, the team has done 105+ events in 31 countries.
Competitors like JetPack Aviation and Zapata Racing are building the Speeder — a 150mph Star Wars-like airborne motorcycle — and the Ez-Fly flying segway.
Flying segways. What a time to be alive.
