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Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

Ragitsu

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Ragitsu Grand Master

Ragitsu

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Mass Combat mentions flying battlesuits; UT has its share of personal flying contraptions; Warhammer 40K has Raptors, XV25 Jetpacks and many others; Command & Conquer has Jetpack infantry, jet-jumping Zone Troopers and winged Shadow Teams; Starcraft has Reapers; Dark Void has the couple of experimental flying jetpacks among humans, and less experimental hover-jetpacks among the Watchers.

 

But...how practical would such items be in actual tactical use? How much of a difference would they make?

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Markdoc Grand Master

Markdoc

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Re: Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

 

Mass Combat mentions flying battlesuits; UT has its share of personal flying contraptions; Warhammer 40K has Raptors, XV25 Jetpacks and many others; Command & Conquer has Jetpack infantry, jet-jumping Zone Troopers and winged Shadow Teams; Starcraft has Reapers; Dark Void has the couple of experimental flying jetpacks among humans, and less experimental hover-jetpacks among the Watchers.

 

But...how practical would such items be in actual tactical use? How much of a difference would they make?

 

Well, in WW2 the Germans had the "Heaven-stormer" - an actual jet pack that let you jump about 50 metres. You can see how well that worked out for them :)

 

In real life, jet packs would be a niche tool, if they could be safely used. You don't want your infantry popping up in the air essentially saying "here I am! Duck shoot!" during a firefight. The most likely uses I can think of - rapid assault from airborne troops (used instead of rappelling). Placing specialist troops into otherwise hard to reach places (assault pioneers, for example).

 

Of course if you can clad them in bulletproof armour and arm them with chainsaws, that's a whole 'nuther deal! :)*

 

Cheers, Mark

 

 

*Actually I keed - raptors and space marine assault marines suck in Dawn of War: a conventional, upgunned marine squad will tear 'em to pieces. Oddly enough they are occasionally useful as assault pioneers, to get to place you can't easily reach so you can drop pod or teleport troops in. :)

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Xavier Onassiss Veteran

Xavier Onassiss

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Re: Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

 

It's a problem of engineering: the technology used for jets/rockets/VTOL/etc. doesn't scale down to a man-sized unit with any efficiency. What you end up with is a piece of kit which is too heavy to wear/carry, has very limited range, speed and maneuverability compared to a real aircraft, and adding armor to the trooper's equipment load ensures he's unable to walk.

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Sundog Mentor

Sundog

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Re: Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

 

You're ignoring the usefulness jetpacks would be in any sort of close terrain.

In jungle warfare or urban combat, the ability to move quickly and easily over heavy terrain or to utilise the advantages of 3D mobility would be priceless. Suddenly, holding a building by securing the entrances ceases to be a viable tactic, and platforms in trees aren't just for suicidal snipers - in fact, establishing posts inside triple-canopy jungle would make for a massively more difficult job of sweeping an area.

Outside the military, Police would find equal utility for them - you mght outrun a cop (good luck) or move into areas a patrol car can't go, but hiding from a jetpack-equipped pursuer will be near impossible. Plus the mibility advantage would be readily apparet for any tactical unit, for assaults or setting up sniping positions.

The use for these in firefighting and rescue should be obvious.

IF wecan overcome the power-density problem (and that's one pretty big if) jetpacks are going to change things a lot.

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DusterBoy Veteran

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Re: Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

 

Well, as I understand it, the main probs with the classical jetpack is that you have the exhaust right over your backside and legs, and your feet are the landing gear. Not good in the event of a crash landing.

 

The future ain't what we were promised, but then, it never was. . .

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Old Man Grand Master

Old Man

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Re: Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

 

Jetpacks:

 

Very heavy when not being used.

When being used:

Very noisy and/or disruptive to the environment.

Makes operator an obvious and vulnerable target.

Probably occupies operator's attention, preventing them from effectively employing weapons or other equipment.

Poor range and speed makes them less efficient than other transportation for noncombat movement.

 

 

It occurs to me that if you could make a jetpack with enough maneuverability and endurance, it might still be tactically useful in very difficult terrain e.g. jungles, swamps, littoral ops, and certain urban areas. You could then mount the weapons on the jetpack such that it would be less of a jetpack and more of an ultralight one-man VTOL fighter that isn't really meant to be carried as a pack.

 

The other useful version I can think of would be more of a limited-use jump pack, a low-endurance semi-disposable version that could actually be carried. This one you'd give to the Marines so that they could hop to the beach without exposing the landing craft to RPG fire, or by special ops who need the tactical flexibility to quickly jump to high ground upon contact with the enemy. Hard to make this one cheap without also being suicidal though.

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Querysphinx Proficient

Querysphinx

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Re: Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

 

The jet pack is here now

 

Martain in New Zealand is the best with the most thrust and abliity to weaponize

 

http://gammasquad.uproxx.com/2010/03/jetpack-for-sale

 

there is also a company out of Las Vegas Nevada

 

Zoom

 

I think that a propulsion unit that is bigger and heavier than the operator no longer counts as a "pack"

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NuSoardGraphite Grand Master

NuSoardGraphite

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Re: Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

 

You know that Jet Pack would make a good "Jump pack" for a first gen military Powered Armor exoskeleton. Who needs parachutes? Simply jump out of the airplane at high altitude and glide down. Death from above. Hopefully the enemy won't catch you on radar, or if they do, they think your are flock of birds.

 

As far as Faux News is concerned: :rolleyes:

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Old Man Grand Master

Old Man

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Re: Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

 

You know that Jet Pack would make a good "Jump pack" for a first gen military Powered Armor exoskeleton. Who needs parachutes? Simply jump out of the airplane at high altitude and glide down. Death from above. Hopefully the enemy won't catch you on radar' date=' or if they do, they think your are flock of birds.[/quote']

 

I understand special forces are already looking into personal glider tech similar to wingsuits or wearable wings. As you say these have great promise for covert cross-border insertion. In fact I'd be surprised if they weren't already being used.

 

Sadly these don't have any useful takeoff capability of their own, nor do they have the low speed maneuvering capability one would hope for out of the popular "jetpack" definition. They are, in effect, man-portable hang gliders.

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LordGhee Experienced

LordGhee

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Re: Actual usefulness of Jetpacks/Jump-packs/Powered Gliders/etc

 

Just had flash!

 

the first use of jet packs will be for incertion onto ships, you either chopper in or grappel up.

 

the ability to swarm a ship and land deployed! You could surface a sub and use jetpacks to attack a ship with Seals (commandos).

 

oild rigs any point target you need to hit at once. Like a helo i bet you could be on the target before they hear it.

 

 

and years ago the green berets developed Halo (high alt jump, low alt opening) and then HaHo (high alt jump hight alt opening) which allowed your para sail chute to take you 50 miles or more from the plane. the Russian developed a door sock which allow a jump out of a jet at high alt (you get push into the tail) so that the profile would be of a commerical cargo or passanger plane.

 

ultra light planes have been used to get under radar and over long distances by the US and Russia

 

Lord Ghee

Lord Ghee

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