Mayman Aerospace, manufacturer of the Speeder Air Utility Vehicle (AUV) and Savback Helicopters, announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the sale and purchase of 25 Speeder units. This agreement positions Savback as the first civilian customer, and heralds a new era for compact high-speed vertical take-off and landing operations in Europe.
These speeders are designed to carry 1000lbs and are made for jobs that a normal helicopter cannot reach. This speeder is powered by multiple jets and employs digital thrust vectoring. That gives it unprecedented maneuverability, high speeds and impressive payload capability.
While it is able to be used as a cargo transport only it can also be piloted with personnel accommodation. It uses diesel or sustainable aviation fuel which gives it more freedom for missions that are outside a typical electrically-powered eVTOL aircraft’s capabilities.
Disaster recovery is part of its mission. The aircraft is easily transportable to the area of operations and can be transported easily through pedestrian means. It can fit on to a car or a motorcycle trailer. Preparations for flights take only a few minutes. Because of its smaller size it can fit in tighter places in conditions which would usually ground a helicopter. The Speeder has no rotor system, gearboxes or complex transmission, and is therefore also cheaper and easier to maintain than a rotary-wing platform.
This machine will be first available to organizations like the military, fire-fighting, humanitarian, disaster relief, cargo, medevac, search and rescue, utilities support (eg mining, windfarms, telcoms company). Eventually there will be a version that is for the consumer audience but with its performance capabilities a pilot’s license will be necessary
More details about the speeder:
- Length: 6ft 6in
- Height, landing gear retracted: 3ft 2.4in
- Width, no wing: 4ft 4in
- Wingspan, small wing: 10ft 6in
- Wingspan, large wing: 16ft
- Speed, approximate, depending on configuration: 200mph piloted, 500mph for cargo
- Ceiling: 20,000ft
- Maximum take-off weight: 1,870lb
- Range: 200nm
- Payload: up to 1,000lb
- Operation: optionally remotely piloted, autonomous, or single pilot
While we have no idea on how much these will retail for, we’d much rather have one of rather than a Lamborghini GoKart.
