U.S. Special Forces will soon have a new weapon at their disposal: Stealth motorcycles

[WhiteTara]

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/u-special-forces-soon-weapon-disposal-stealth-motorcycles-162830637.html?nhp=1

Over the past few decades, the military has made great strides towards improving its stealth technology. Today, the U.S. Air Force can make use of stealth fighter jets and stealth bombers while the U.S. Navy can just as easily deploy stealth submarines and even stealth ships.

But what if a particular mission calls for something a bit smaller and just a tad more mobile? Meet the stealth motorcycle.

A few years ago, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsored a competition where companies were challenged to come up with a compelling stealth motorcycle design.

The underlying goal? To provide ground troops with the ability to navigate through tough terrain quickly and without detection. Such a bike could also airdropped down to troops on the ground whereupon they could use it and subsequently hide it "for later retrieval."

[rug]

1. They definitely will not be Harleys.

[Paulie]

2. Still behind Battlestar Galactica 1980

They had stealth and flying!

[rug]

6. Ha! I've never seen that.

But they sound like blenders.

[Paulie]

7. They have a switch

That makes them silent. Couldn't find a video.

[Rex]

21. Shouldn't have taken the green acid.

Far out man!

[pinboy3niner]

3. "The good news is they airdropped some stealth motorcycles for us.

The bad news is we haven't been able to spot them."

[kentauros]

8. Maybe their chutes didn't open

and they're in a deep hole in the ground

[TipTok]

13. Like these?

[kentauros]

15. Yep.

Just like that

[AgadorSparticus]

9. 😂😂😂

[6chars]

4. could just drive a Prius

[AgadorSparticus]

10. Truth!! Prius' are so quiet it is hard to tell when the engine is on sometimes

[csziggy]

18. A friend of mine was in a group hit by a Prius

The driver hit the accelerator instead of the brake and the car hit about a half dozen people. Fortunately no one was badly injured but she is very nervous around Prius. She told me about it when she realized I own one. She said no one heard the car coming towards them because it was completely silent.

My husband has, more than once, turned the Prius off when he didn't realize it was already on. You'd think the radio playing and air conditioning running would give him a clue, but it hasn't, yet.

[ish of the hammer]

5. so how many children could have had dental work for the money spent on just developing

a throw-away dirt bike?

[Volaris]

12. Seems like a bike (dirt or street) is a very good platform for new drive tech

Cheaper than 4 wheels, easy to tear down and retrofit, lightweight. Small batteries for small commutes through suburbia and the sprawl for work, groceries, etc. Somebody has needed to build a tough and reliable hybrid/electric bike and no one has done it yet...hopefully this opens the door. Yes, children's dental is important but if we wreck the rest of the environment and civilization collapses, that probably won't rank too high on the Basic Survival Priorities List.
Subsidize the shit out of stuff like this, and get it out to the population just as fast as we can is my opinion.

But that's just my opinion. I come here to be told (occasionally) that I'm Wrong and Why.
=)

[ish of the hammer]

14. subsidize the shit out of all that technology

and then let the corporations make their money. no, I don't think it's a good idea.
a hybrid/electric dirt bike isn't even on a basic survival priorities list if you are talking about environmental and civilization collapse.
you've been watching too much Mad Max. get out and get some fresh air.

[Volaris]

17. I'd like to clarify..

I didn't say anything about giving it to for profit corporations. Let the govt design, build and distribute it as a part of a National Clean Energy Public Transportation initiative.

You're correct that if a civilization collapse happens it won't be worth a thin dime. But if it helps to cut gasoline consumption and carbon emissions in an effort to prevent that collapse, then I think that's a good thing.

I've been outside lately. The air isn't so fresh as it used to be...and that's pretty much the Problem that we should be looking for solutions to, and we should be looking anywhere and everywhere before it's too late (if it isn't already).

Peace; Love and Solidarity.

[Thor_MN]

11. Putting an actual, effective muffler on a motorcycle does not make it "Stealth".

Sure it's quieter than 99% of the existing motorcycles but that isn't stealth technology, it's just common sense. I just heard a motorcycle through the window, and it was probably better than a mile away. Some equate loud with power and most are designed to maximize loud.

[csziggy]

19. Make them electric wih solar cells to re-charge them

One of the big problems with a supply chain is carrying fuel, especially to troops who are trying to stay undercover.

Give them light weight bikes - or dune buggy type vehicles - with flexible solar collectors that can be packed up easily and they'd not need supplies nearly so often!

Then turn around and release that technology for everyday use.

[ish of the hammer]

16. all these new and nifty gadgets for our wonderful armed forces is

just propaganda for the MIC. I'm shocked - shocked, I tell you, to find it on DU!
part of this comment is sarcasm.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

20. Modern cavalry. Will they be issued broadswords, lances, and battle axes?

Much stealthier than noisy guns.

[Recursion]

22. There was talk of that just after WWI

TE Lawrence (yes that Lawrence) had volunteered to start up the new Motorcycle Corps and they tried several times to develop a saber that could be used effectively. Unfortunately while a horse is smart enough to not fall over if the rider lets go of the reins, a motorcycle is less forgiving.