Dubai police flying motorcycle – Video: Police believe the S3 2019 hoverbike.
Dubai police officers have begun training on flying motorbikes with four propellers to help them fight crime from the skies.
Police believe the S3 2019 hoverbike, designed by a California tech firm, will help them reach hard-to-access areas when they respond to emergencies.
Footage shows one officer wearing a motorcycle helmet taking off from a football pitch in a flying lesson in front of Dubai’s skyline.
The hoverbikes will be in action by 2020 with two crews already learning how to pilot them, CNN reported.
‘Currently we have two crews already training and we’re increasing the number,’ said Khalid Nasser Alrazooqi of Dubai Police.
Designers Hoversurf presented the flying contraption to Dubai authorities at GITEX, an annual technology trade fair in Dubai.
The firm said they could provide 30 or 40 to Dubai if police were interested and said the emirate’s law enforcement had exclusive rights to order as many vehicles as they needed.
Civilians will also be able to buy the contraption for $150,000 (£114,000) but will have to be screened to establish whether they can use it safely.
The 253-pound, battery-powered bike can fly for up to 40 minutes in its ‘drone mode’ before it will need recharging.
Featuring three-bladed propellers it can fly at 60mph up to 16 feet above the ground.
The dimensions of the hoverbike allow it to be rolled in a standard doorway while also being able to take off from an ordinary parking space, the company said.
Hoversurf said on its website: ‘By combining our custom built flight controller, the most innovative composite material processes and having a dedicated team we were able to achieve something truly amazing.
‘We presented the S3 2019 to the Dubai Police at this years GITEX 2018 where it will now be integrated into there fleet of futuristic vehicles.
‘Both Hoversurf and Dubai Police understand that this is just the begging to something much larger.
‘A partnership were both see the future is within our grasp and that together we can materialize the human dream of personal flight.’