RAF pilots are issued with a fleet of 15mph e-scooters to commute from their quarters to work to encourage greener travel
- RAF pilots have been issued with a fleet of e-scooters with top speed of 15.5mph
- Personnel at RAF Marham in Norfolk use e-scooters to make three-mile journey
- Military chiefs have purchased 90 of the machines as part of Operation Astra
As ‘Maverick’ in the film Top Gun, fighter pilot Tom Cruise would race around between missions on his 249mph Kawasaki Ninja motorbike.
Now RAF pilots have been given their own two-wheeled transport, but in a rather more sedate form, after being issued with a fleet of e-scooters – with a top speed of 15.5mph.
Personnel at RAF Marham in Norfolk use the e-scooters to make the three-mile journey from their living quarters to work at the base.
RAF pilots are being issued with a fleet of e-scooters – with a top speed of 15.5mph. (Stock image)
Military chiefs bought 90 of the machines as part of Operation Astra, an initiative to encourage greener travel.
Officials say the move has reduced use of a shuttle bus that ferries staff between three locations, and led to plans for a £500,000 new car park being scrapped.
Marham station commander Group Captain Jim Beck said: ‘We have introduced e-scooters for our personnel to reduce carbon vehicle use.
This has enabled greener and more flexible transport with the added bonus of saving money.’
Military chiefs bought 90 of the machines as part of Operation Astra and personnel at RAF Marham in Norfolk use the e-scooters to make the three-mile journey from their living quarters to work at the base. (Stock images)
Even the local tractors on the surrounding Norfolk roads travel comfortably faster than the e-scooters, while the supersonic aircraft based at Marham – the F-35B Lightning, the RAF’s most advanced fighter jet – can fly at 1,200mph.
It has a range of 1,367 miles, while the e-scooter’s battery lasts for 30 miles. Each jet costs £190 million, while the scooters were £500 apiece.
Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the original 1986 blockbuster movie, is scheduled for release in November but will unfortunately not see Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, again played by Cruise, riding an e-scooter.
He gets another supercharged Kawasaki.