Future Rides
PATROLLING THE SKIES
The thought of police officers patrolling the skies on flying The hoverbikes will be an addition to the squad rather than a
motor cycles sounds like something out of a dystopian sci- replacement of current vehicles. Police officers flying down
fi movie. The Dubai Police intend on making this a reality, the streets, chasing suspects on flying hoverbikes does
announcing that they intend to add flying hoverbike drones seem a little too futuristic for 2017. Given the Dubai Police
to its fleet of law enforcing officers. have used some of the world’s fastest supercars as their
Announced at the largest tech expo in the region, GITEX,
the hoverbike uses electric power, and can travel at up to 70
kph with a pilot commandeering it. Initial tests indicate the
pursuit vehicles in the past, it seems a little farfetched that
they would implement slower, largely unsafe hoverbikes to
patrol the streets.
maximum altitude is fairly limited at 16 feet. Unmanned, The hoverbikes are based on the Russian Hoversurf
the drone can reach speeds nearing 100 kph. This drone Scorpion 3 drone, which was unveiled in early 2017. Gulf
requires a three-hour charge to fly/operate for about 20 News interviewed a Dubai Police representative who said
to 25 minutes. Fortunately, its batteries can easily be that the intention was to firstly focus on further testing,
swapped out, foregoing any potential charge-related pit before eventually creating an actual drone division, utilising
stops. the hoverbikes in manned and unmanned police work.
CAPRICORN IGNITION HOLIDAY EDITION 29