Russian Defense Company Unveils One-Person Flying Car

Lift Off

The concept of flying cars or hover cars has been around for decades, and in recent months we've seen such designs and test vehicles from Toyota, DeLorean Aerospace, PAL-V, and even Google co-founder Larry Page. Yet another design making headlines recently is from Russian defense company called Kalashnikov.

Kalashnikov, part of the larger Russian company Rostec, debuted their vehicle earlier this week to show off its design and capabilities. As reported by Popular Mechanics, its body consists of a simple metal frame with a set of eight rotors used to lift it off the ground. A pair of joysticks are used to control the craft, while a set batteries found beneath the rider's seat provide the necessary power. In the future, a shell may be built around the frame that keeps the rotors out of harm's way, but still exposed enough to operate properly.

Using electricity makes it lighter than a craft that relies on gasoline or a diesel engine, but as noted by DefenseNews, the batteries probably only enable it to fly for about 30 minutes before it needs to land. This time limit may place unwanted restrictions on how much it can carry, or what tasks it could perform.

One potential use would be scouting for the military. It could also be used to make deliveries. As of now, its purpose is mostly speculative, as Kalashnikov has yet to specify an end goal. For now, we'll have to wait and see where the flying car's development takes it.