A 'Flying' Tesla Roadster Sounds Impossible, Until You See What Lockheed Martin Built Decades Ago
Thrusters are as good at flipping cars as they are at hunting ballistic missiles.
Tesla
Tesla's long-delayed and still unreleased Tesla Roadster was formally reintroduced on October 16 and besides an angular, Cybertruck-esque design and the ability to go 0-60 mph in less than a second, the company's big surprise was that it can fly. The car can't really "fly" in the tradition of Back to the Future Part II, but more through a collection of controlled falling, jumping and flipping maneuvers. While admittedly impressive, the concept isn't unique to Tesla. Experimental missile defense systems have featured similar uses of thrusters since at least the early 2000s, in a form factor that's now called a Multiple Kill Vehicle or MKV.
In the case of the Roadster, the supercar is able to pull off its much lauded kickflips thanks to two high-pressure air tanks and ten nozzles placed throughout the...
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