Video: Cops on flying bikes to patrol Dubai by 2020

Dubai: Dubai Police have started training two officers on flying motorcycles with a view to introducing the vehicles into service by 2020, according to a tweet by the Dubai Media Office on Friday.

The futuristic step forward in policing was confirmed by Brigadier Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi, director of the Artificial Intelligence Department at Dubai Police, who said the hoverbike will be used in policing work across the city.

“We have two crews already training to use the hoverbike and we will increase the number. The vehicle will be used by 2020 in first-responder roles because of its ability to access hard-to-reach locations,” Brigadier Al Razooqi told Gulf News.

The new crime-fighting “hoverbike” was part of the remarkable display of advanced technology unveiled by Dubai Police at the Gitex Technology Week 2018.

“It works on electricity and can fly at five metres height and carry a policeman during emergency situations and heavy traffic. The bike can also fly without a passenger and can go up to 96km/h. It can fly for 25 minutes with a pilot and for 40 minutes when controlled by an operator,” Brigadier Al Razooqi said earlier in Gitex week.

The hoverbike can be used for quick response to traffic accidents and emergencies.

“We are still studying how many hoverbikes we will use in the future,” he added.

The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles are made by California-based startup Hoversurf, which had an agreement with Dubai to supply the flying vehicles. The police force has now received delivery of the first production unit of the S3 2019 Hoverbike.

It takes two-and-a-half hours for the bikes to reach full charge.

Hoversurf published videos on its Instagram page showing the training in progress.