The US Army expects to receive new silent hybrid motorcycles designed for covert operations, including night operations. Hidden bikes will help special forces soldiers to get close to the enemy almost imperceptibly. Back in 2014, the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began work on a program codenamed SilentHawk. The goal of this program was to create an off-road super-quiet motorcycle, the main purpose of which is to participate in special operations.
As a result of the preliminary selection, the Pentagon representatives opted for the project, which was provided by Alta Motors and Logos Technologies. It was these two firms that received the funding required to bring ideas to life. The low-noise military off-road motorcycle is made by its special power plant - an electric motor with a hybrid power supply system.
Under normal conditions, that is, being far enough from the places of the special operation, the SilentHawk motorcycle will be able to move due to the energy that is generated by a generator connected to a universal internal combustion engine. Its versatility lies in the fact that diesel fuel, gasoline, alcohol, and even jet fuel are suitable for it. Such an omnivorous engine will become a serious advantage of the apparatus, especially in the context of special operations behind enemy lines on its territory, or simply far from its own services and supply bases.
At the same time, if the need arises for covert movement, the SilentHawk motorcycle can be easily converted to an all-electric drive, in this mode it will receive energy from the installed batteries. In this operating mode, the motorcycle should not emit noise exceeding 55 dB, which is below the sound level during a normal conversation between two people. In a louder operating mode, when an internal combustion engine (ICE) is used, the noise emitted by this military motorcycle should not exceed a threshold of 75 dB, which is comparable to the sound that a normal household vacuum cleaner makes.
The already existing RedShift MX racing electric motorcycle manufactured by Alta Motor was taken as the basis for the future military motorcycle. Logos Technologies already tested a hybrid setup for this motorcycle in 2014. In the new motorcycle, the chassis from Alta Motor is to be combined with a new engine from Logos Technologies. Currently, the program for the creation of SilentHawk has moved to the second stage of implementation, which will consist in the development of a full-fledged operational model of a military motorcycle. Companies are given 18 months to develop the first prototype. After the expiration of this period, a campaign should start to conduct extensive field tests of this two-wheeled novelty. It is worth noting that the requirements of the military, which will be presented to the new combat vehicle, have not yet been fully determined.
The SilentHawk is to be a dedicated hybrid motorcycle designed for reconnaissance missions. According to employees of Logos Technologies, which is working on a hybrid power plant for this unit, the motorcycle will be able to move perfectly even on the most difficult surfaces, while it will accelerate to a speed of 88 km / h (55 mph). It is assumed that the first working prototypes of this motorcycle will be tested only after 1.5 years.
An interesting point is such a detail as a removable internal combustion engine. It is reported that the engine can be simply removed, after which the bike will not only be less weight, but will also be able to turn into a full-fledged all-electric motorcycle. With only one charge of the installed batteries, it will be able to travel up to 80 kilometers (50 miles). But already in the future, the power reserve indicators when using an electric motor may change, since work is currently underway to improve the design of this promising military vehicle.
After dismantling the combustion engine, the resulting free space can be used to accommodate any suitable weights. For example, instead of an internal combustion engine, a motorcycle can be equipped with spare parts, communications, ammunition or any other equipment that is needed to complete a specific mission. This solution significantly increases the functionality of the motorcycle and its versatility as a lightweight transport platform. In addition, this solution easily turns the SilentHawk into a full-fledged electric motorcycle.
Before that, the American special operations command had already tried to use the Zero MMX motorcycle for the same purposes, but in the end it was decided to abandon this idea. The reason for the failure was the short duration of the motorcycle's operation from the installed batteries - only 2 hours.
On the other hand, just a couple of years ago, the appearance of such technologies on the modern weapons market was hard to imagine. However, today the hybrid military motorcycle has become almost a reality, which is almost embodied in metal. Just imagine the picture when a group of elite special forces secretly sneaks into the enemy's rear on silent all-terrain motorcycles, which becomes a complete surprise for the enemy. The enemy can simply be taken by surprise. This is exactly the picture that American generals expect to see in the end after the motorcycle with a hybrid power plant is finally ready and enters the combat units.
