Soldier 'batman'

The wings and rudder personal flight suit is an idea for aviation sports athletes. Military soldiers see it as a future device that can help soldiers fly like bats. But at the same time, they were also afraid of terrorists getting the secret of this new weapon to cause trouble.

The plane is flying at an altitude of 4,000 m. The sound of the engine roars when the plane falls into the strong wind. The tail door of the plane descended. From the inside, a person dressed in black, wearing a carbon fiber wing suit is also black, rushing out. The force of the wind whipped at the person flying like a tossing a fist to paint made him wobble for a while before regaining his balance. Thanks to the wings, he glides in the wind at a speed of 200 km / h!

Lion head bird

Skyray flight suit is used by aircraft designer Alban Geissler (Photo: atairaerospace) The spectacle is not a scene from a good action film in American comics. The person who jumps out of the plane is not Batman or the 007 agent either, although in the latest James Bond movie scenario, the director plans to use the same outfit.

The one with the unique flying suit was Erich Jetlitko, a former German paratrooper. Currently, he and a group of people are testing a new flight system with wings and rudders with the only difference compared to a conventional aircraft is its modest size.

Three years ago, a similar flying suit was famous throughout Europe. In the summer of 2003, Felix Baumgartner used the same suit to fly over the Channel. At that time, it was named the sports Skyray application for sports by the inventor of Alban Geissler, 35, a sports enthusiast in the city of Munich (Germany). Now Geissler continues to improve it for military use.

The experimental flight suit also changed its name to Greif (German for "winged lion"). From the field of entertainment, Greif became a new military weapon. Geissler is preparing two sets for testing. Join Geissler with Jelitko, in charge of developing new equipment for paratroopers of the ESG Army Logistics Company, and Frank Carrecas. This trio proved very optimistic. Greif is a test product of the Geissler duo - Jelitko.

Listen to Jelitko describing Greif: 'If you consider the normal parachute to be a small motorcycle, then Greif is a motorbike.' It helps soldiers fly to the ground at speeds of up to 220 km / h, a hand holding a gun, a steering wheel control. Its superiority to the classic parachute is, if necessary, it can stay on no longer than a normal umbrella because it does not have to fall freely.

Once in the James Bond movie script

'Batman' Jelitko
(Photo: Employee)

When landing, the user must dismantle the suitcase from the backpack worn on his back and open the umbrella in the backpack, the suit still not leaving the user with a rope. Jelitko explains: 'You can fly with this outfit like flying an airplane . ' So far, the important disadvantage has not been overcome is difficult to maintain balance. Even experienced experts such as Jelitko or Carrecas are struggling. The suit is not very stable when it is in the air. Even Carrecas was forced to make an emergency landing during a test flight. Geissler admitted: 'We need to perfect it so that an ordinary person can easily control it, not an expert.'

How will Greif be used in the military? The following scenario was outlined: A transport plane dropped soldiers in the dark night. The soldier, equipped with an oxygen supply machine, was released at a height of about 10 km and far from the target so it was safe, conventional radar did not see. At that height, the wind flow may not be anticipated but it is not a problem for flying soldiers. The Greif suit adapts to every wind direction. The biggest difference compared to a normal umbrella is that instead of taking 45 minutes to land, it shortens the time to 15 minutes. Moreover, it allows soldiers to fly at least 40 km away.

Geissler now has another plan : add a small jet engine weighing about 15 kg to the wings. This allows the soldiers to be released at a height of less than 10 km and still safe and the soldiers fly up to 200 km. Interestingly, an improved wing of Greif was included in the script for use by James Bond. But at the last minute, because actor Pierce Brosnan played James Bond wounded at the knee, scenes of shooting 007 spies flying with the flight of Greif were canceled.

Terrorism is also used

The idea of ​​bringing the flight of Greif into military use was organized by military officials from countries participating in the ILA International Air Show in Berlin (Germany) in May.The wings of Greif, if improved to be as stealthy as American B1 aircraft.Geissler explains: 'The Greif suit weakens radar signals thanks to its internal shape and structure. Only the latest radar systems will catch the signal. '

With such beneficial features, what Western terrorists fear is that international terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda may seek to buy wings of Greif to carry out crazy terrorist intentions. the best.So when it comes to the market, it is necessary to include measures to control and prevent suspicious origin orders.