The #Flyboard air, the flying platform created by the French Franky Zapata and built by Zapata Industries, has captured the attention of armies all over the world. The French daily "Les Echos" writes, explaining that it is a kerosene-powered device, equipped with five mini-turbojets and capable of flying up to 190 Km / h with a range of about ten minutes.
The French Defense Minister explained that the Flyboard Air "will allow us to test different uses, for example a flying logistics platform or an assault platform". France risked missing out on the project as Zapata in October of the 2017 proposed the flying platform to the US military. In November of the 2018 the French Defense released 1,3 million to develop the Flyboard air.
The Special Operations Command of the United States could therefore turn the soldiers' dream of having infantry into flight into reality.
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron shared an unusual video showing a man on a platform flying across the sky during Bastille Day celebrations in Paris.
The video was accompanied by a simple message of “Fier de notre armée, moderne et innovante”, “proud of our army, modern and innovative”, suggesting that the French armed forces could use the unusual vehicle for potential military applications.
It is not clear what, if any, a formal relationship between Zapata Racing and the French armed forces, but Zapata has long expressed a desire to further develop the platform for potential military applications.
"We have finished the research and development of a new project that will use similar equipment and technologies but will be easier to use for a wider audience, and certainly also for the military or security.“, Zapata Verge said in a 2016 interview.
In 2016, Zapata sold Zapata Racing to defense contractor Implant Sciences. The following year, he conducted demonstrations with Flyboard Air for Army officials.
"Implant Sciences' contacts with the US military have been something very exciting for me“, Declared Zapata at the time of Digital Trends. "We have the technology, but having access to these contacts has been very valuable for us: the money they will bring to the company also means that we will be able to develop a range of new technological developments".
At the end of the 2018, the SOCOM-funded SOFWERX public-private partnership conducted tests of the so-called individual air mobility system (IAMS) built on the Zapata EZ-Fly aerial platform.
According to The War Zone, the company had even sought out other employees with special operational backgrounds to help Zapata "fabricate the militarized derivative" of the Flyboard Air.
“SOFWERX… developed and tested a training protocol to determine its effectiveness for SOF operators and to determine how quickly they could be trained to fly EZ-Fly,” the IAMS program organization said.
"Trainees performed advanced skill assessments and managed to successfully fly the EZ-Fly through a slalom course with three weeks of total training".
Of course, the Bastille Day demonstration does not necessarily mean that the Zapata plant is fully militarized and ready for operational use.
As The War Zone recalled in 2018, the technology is far from being perfect in both design and application. The biggest problem is the limited autonomy. The operator would have to refuel continuously in order to complete the mission.
The potential unit cost of approximately $ 250 is roughly half that of small 4 × 4 special operations vehicles. It is probable that the US military may think of equipping small units with these unique aerial platforms. However, a nine-man team would cost more than $ 2 million.
In addition to all this Fly-EZ continues to leave the operator entirely exposed to enemy fire and it is unclear whether the user can fire a weapon, even with one hand, while flying.. Its speed, maneuverability, and altitude capabilities would help mitigate this vulnerability, but test videos show that the platform moves very slowly when taking off or landing. The technology, at the moment, can only arouse a lot of interest but it needs further studies and greater insights and innovations to be able to collect interest and have a military use.