Dubai Police to get quadcopter flying bikes

Dubai’s police dept has too big a budget for vehicles and no one saying, “No,” when they should. That’s about the only conclusion you can reach at the news that they are to add quadcopter flying bikes to their fleet, joining the supercars already in the headlines.

The police version of the Russian designed and built hover bike was revealed at a technology show called GITEX in the UAE this month. Using electric power, the hover bike can fly one person, covered in protective gear, at up to 70km/h (43mph) and a height of five metres for around 20-25 minutes.

In the video, released by HoverSurf, the company behind the police bike, it shows how the four props are at mid leg height while on the ground, and exposed to both the police pilot and anyone nearby. It also shows how unstable the hover bike is, requiring considerable skill from the rider. What happens if one of the props stops working? Not surprisingly, that’s not included in the demo video.

Oh, and HoverSurf actually named the bike, Scorpion. Yup, it’s certainly got a sting in its tail…