James Bond style rocket belts now available to buy, 40 years since `Thunderball`

It's the perfect gift for someone who has everything - or thought they had, reports the Telegraph.

The world's first commercially-available rocket pack is now on the market. But if you want to launch yourself into the air like Sean Connery in the James Bond film Thunderball, it will cost you £130,000.

The hydrogen-peroxide powered packs, known as Rocket Belts, can propel the wearer to speeds of up to 60mph. The custom-made 800 horse-powered rockets will launch adrenaline junkies weighing up to 21st as high as 300ft.

The belt is a copy of the gadget created by Wendell Moore, an engineer at the American firm Bell Aerosystems, in 1961. As well as being used in Thunderball, Mr Moore's rocket pack was also flown in the opening ceremony of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

It could carry a man 30ft into the air and reach a speed of between seven and 10 miles per hour. However, its flying time was limited to just 20 seconds.

Anyone who buys the new version will receive a machine to make its rocket fuel, hands-on training and 10 training flights. The firm also offers maintenance and 24-hour support.

Its inventor, Juan Manuel Lozano, who owns Mexican-based Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexican (TAM), describes the Rocket Belt as "the most spectacular flying machine ever developed".

The 52-year-old said the main difference between his belt and the James Bond version is the use of modern materials such as carbon fibre, Kevlar and titanium.

"The Rocket Belt came about as a result of my passion for speed and my love of motorcycles, racing cars, planes, boats, rockets," he said.

Mr Lozano believes the belt could also be an investment for entrepreneurs who could fly it in TV commercials or at event openings.

TAM has also combined a 1,100 horse-power rocket with a mountain bike to create the world's fastest bicycle. The Rocket Bike reached 160mph in just five seconds.

Mr Lozano said: "I had to buy the best and strongest mountain bike. I then built a custom tank and designed a special rocket engine for the bicycle. The results were pretty spectacular."

He is now working on a rocket-powered motorcycle.

He added: "The only power limit is the amount of G-force you can support in your arms trying to hang on to the handlebars of the bike at the start of the run.

"My number one priority was to invest all my money and time to finishing the rocket belts project.

"The problem is that now my pocket and my bank account are both in the red."

The Rocket Belts are available from www.tecaeromex.com

Discuss this news here...