'Real-life Iron Man' says army willing to buy his jet suits for £24m

 'Real-life Iron Man' says army willing to buy his jet suits for £24m

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An inventor whose jet suits have earned him comparisons to Iron Man says he is willing to sign £24m deals with special forces.

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Richard Browning's 'human flight backpack' can take its wearer more than 600 metres into the air at speeds of up to 85mph.

It holds the current world speed record for flight backpacks and improves on previous technology with six micro gas turbines attached to the arm allowing greater control of movement.

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Browning, a former Royal Marines reservist and oil trader, already offers £6,600 flight 'experiences' to the public, or his own bespoke jet suits for a whopping £456,000.

Now he says his suit is particularly in demand by commandos to board ships.

Two allied UK armies are about to sign contracts with his company Gravity Industries, which he started in his shed eight years ago and is now worth $72m.

“We do something that looks like it should be in a Marvel movie and looks spectacular, but it’s actually now a serious international business that drives export,” he told The Sunday Times.

“Special forces mobility is now where we’re generating success.”

“We’re in the process of signing several deals with two Western allies, particularly for marine mobility, allowing special forces to quickly secure maritime targets.”

“Rather than trying to latch onto the railings of a moving ship with a pole and a hook, before climbing up a caving ladder, or descending from a helicopter in flight, which has its own challenges, we can secure an objective in seconds with a swarm of specialist personnel moving independently from all directions.”

“In this tough world we live in at the moment, you can imagine moving special forces is quite attractive.”

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