Dubai loves showing off the ridiculous amounts of money it has, whether it’s by equipping its police force with expensive sports cars, or equipping its firefighters with actual jetpacks. That’s right, the Dubai Civil Defence has ordered $700,000 worth of jetpacks from the Martin Aircraft Company, which will be used in to fight fires in skyscrapers if need be, through the city hopes it’ll never actually come to that, and will remain more of a display of wealth than anything.
Fighting a fire in a towering skyscraper poses unique challenges for both the equipment and the firefighters. That’s why the fire departments of large cities have dedicated high-rise units–but Dubai wants to do one better by equipping its firefighters with jetpacks. The city is no stranger to high-flying exploits, but it’s hoping this latest venture ends up being more than just a publicity stunt (or an obscene display of wealth). The Dubai Civil Defence has officially placed an order with the Martin Aircraft Company for 20 of its twin-engine jetpacks and two simulators for training purposes. The Martin Jetpack is as close as we’ve come to developing a real-life version of what The Rocketeer strapped to his back. It’s considerably larger than the jetpacks science fiction has promised us, and comes with a hefty $35,000 price tag. But it can also carry over 260 pounds, allowing it to lift a pilot and additional equipment to hard to reach parts of a skyscraper. In an emergency when every second counts, being able to quickly access the upper floors of a building is certainly an advantage.
