A jet suit has been given a test flight in the hopes that it will one day aid emergency response teams in treacherous terrains.

The suit, which can reach speeds of over 80mph, has been developed by Gravity Industries and has recently performed a test flight in the Lake District in collaboration with the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). 

After discussions between Gravity Industries and GNAAS over the past year, the test run saw Gravity Industries founder Richard Browning take control of the suit. According to an article in The Guardian, the flight saw Richard float across grassy knolls at heights of between 10 to 20 feet before he eventually arrived at the simulated casualty site. In a scenario which would usually take an hour on foot for rescuers, this exercise took mere minutes. 

“We could see the need. What we didn’t know for sure is how this would work in practice. Well we’ve seen it now and it is, quite honestly, awesome”, said Andy Mawson – director of operations and paramedic at GNAAS.

“Our aircraft will remain a vital part of the emergency response in this terrain, as will the fantastic mountain rescue teams. But this is about looking at supplementing those resources with something completely new.”

The suit has two micro jet engines and it is thought that it can reach an altitude of up to 12,000ft. With modifications now being carried out on the suit, the hopes are that it will be able to be deployed in real case scenarios by next year.