ZAPATA COMPANY

French company launches turbine-powered drone

The French company Franky Zapata showed a video testing an unusual manned drone. A single-seat kerosene-powered plane can lift up to 200 kg of cargo in the air and move in a straight line at speeds of up to 250 km/h. The jet microturbines make the flight so maneuverable that the drone can somersault through the air on the spot.

Three years ago, Frankie Zapata crossed the English Channel on his jet flyboard, armed with micro jet turbines. Similar turbines appear to have formed the basis of the JetRacer jet drone, a completely new development by the now-company Zapata.

The single piloted drone JetRacer is a platform with ten pairs of dual jet engines. However, one pair – next to the pilot's seat – is spaced on either side of the seat. The drone's control system supports automatic flight stabilization and, if necessary, can take full control of the aircraft.

It must be said that the use of microturbines as part of drones is not a one-stop solution in the development of advanced means of air mobility. We've talked about some of these developments before, for example the FusionFlight drone. These drones and manned vehicles compare favorably to their electric counterparts for the ability to quickly return to flight after refueling tanks. This is very valuable, for example, for use by the military or rescue services.

The JetRacer Drone promises to move at speeds of up to 250 km/h and climb to a height of up to 3 km. Franky Zapata, in the first public video, showed some of the steps of piloting the device, including an aerial stunt with a flip in place. Turbines allow this.

Image source: Zapata