4 of the most advanced drones and copters coming to our skies: from a Mitsubishi Electric-backed flying motorbike, to Lockheed Martin’s ‘whisper quiet’ Indago 3 drone – the future is truly here

Dec 1 , 2022

What a way to beat the traffic! The Aerwins Xturismo flying motorbike. Photo: Aerwins Technologies

Aerwins’ Xturismo looks like it was made for the movies, but you’ll need a pilot’s licence to drive it in most places, while the Volocopter 2X is being tried out as an aerial taxi

US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin’s Indago 3 and Airborne Drones’ Vanguard are state-of -the-art surveillance drones, with options for both thermal and optical cameras

Helicopters are a familiar sight in our skies, and in recent years we’ve grown used to the faint buzzing of drones too, but advances in aeronautics and materials are set to see an ever-wider array of craft whirring overhead. In the near future, look out for still more advanced light aircraft, from flying surveillance platforms to aerial taxis and stylish copter runabouts.

1. Aerwins Xturismo

The Aerwins Xturismo flying motorbike. Photo: Aerwins Technologies

If the words “flying bike” don’t get you excited, you are in need of urgent medical attention. For that is precisely what the Xturismo is and a spectacular one at that, like some sort of sleek, open-worked electronic invertebrate.

The machine is made by Aerwins, formerly A.L.I. Technologies, a company headquartered in the US and backed by the likes of Mitsubishi Electric, with Japanese founders who refer to it as a “luxury air cruiser”.

The Xturismo has a maximum range of 40km and can fly for 40 minutes at up to 100km/h, carrying up to 100kg while it does so. Made of carbon fibre and aluminium, and available in black, red or blue, it’s 3.7 metres long, 2.4 metres wide and 1.5 metres tall, and weighs in at 300kg. It features two massive fan blades at the front and back to help it take off, and four smaller ones for navigation. The fans are powered by a hybrid source that combines a conventional petrol engine with four battery powered motors, with the pilot able to access detailed information on how this is all performing via an interface on their phone or tablet.

It won’t be available until 2023, but the manufacturer has been taking orders since last year. The Xturismo is classified as an aircraft in most places (Japan is currently the exception), meaning that you’ll need a pilot’s licence to fly it, and you’ll have to log flight plans each time you want to do so – assuming it gets regulatory approval. That means it’s not yet terribly practical for those of us who aren’t, say, owners of private islands, but then with its hefty price tag, that’s pretty much who you’d need to be to buy one anyway.

The manufacturer has suggested that it could potentially be used in search and rescue missions – which would almost make it worth getting lost on purpose.

Cost: Approx US$768,000

2. Airborne Drones’ Vanguard

Airborne Drones’ Vanguard can capture. high quality film in the air for a full hour-and-a-half. Photo: @airbornedrones/Instagram