Kalashnikov Unveils Awesome ‘Flying Car’
The Russian defense manufacturer credited with the infamous AK-47 we love today has just unveiled a new “flying car” and it looks pretty bad*ss.
The notorious company Kalashnikov Concern (named after the inventor of the world-renowned Russian assault rifle) is just one small part of Rostec: a broader defense and industrial engineering Russian organization.
This new flying car, on the other hand, looks much different from anything you’d see on the battlefield. It has eight pairs of rotors and appears battery operated. The transparent body with its metal frame hovers above the ground using electricity and its rotors– controlled by a joystick.
Since the flying car lacks a gas or diesel engine, the device is probably remarkably light-weight. How long can it fly? No idea.
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Unfortunately, battery technology still lags way behind when it comes to other technologies such as drones and other vehicles. But once new battery technology is available, we’ll be able to fly cars and other devices of all sizes for extended periods of time.
“Now the vehicle is being tested. Soon we will demonstrate the car in practice,” the company’s director of communications, Sofia Ivanova, said. The vehicle carries one person and will be used for civilian transportation purposes Ivanova says.
Historically, Kalashnikov has restricted their manufacturing to small arms, sniper rifles, ammunition, and guided artillery. More recently, however, the company set their sights on creating semi-autonomous vehicles such as robotic tanks and this flying car.
The company unveiled several new weapons and devices last year including the BAS-01G Soratnik which is a robotic combat tank. It weighs seven tons, can travel about 25 miles per hour, and may be operated remotely up to six miles away. The BAS-01G Soratnik can also hold heavy machine guns and operate somewhat autonomously.
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Randi Nord lives in Pontiac, Michigan. She is the co-founder of Geopolitics Alert Independent World News.