May 23, 2014 11:49 AM PDT
Marine dirt bike 'gangs' of Afghanistan
By Thom Patterson, CNN
(CNN) -- A silent, nimble, two-wheeled killing machine.That's what Pentagon researchers envision, now that they've greenlighted developing a hybrid motorcycle powered by two sources: an engine that burns several types of fuel and a stealthy, super-quiet electric motor.
Imagine an elite U.S. fighting force deployed in a mountainous region of Afghanistan, riding motorbikes that are nearly silent. The loudest sound is tires on dirt as they twist and turn down dried river beds and up narrow goat trails. When they launch their assault on a Taliban stronghold, the enemy is taken by surprise.
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has tapped defense contractor Logos Technologies and motorcycle maker BRD to design the motorbike.
As a platform for the project, Logos is talking about BRD's 250-pound RedShift MX. Although the RedShift MX is totally electric, Logos wants to combine that with an engine that burns regular gasoline, as well as jet fuel and diesel. It's expected to have a range of 100 miles and make very little noise, even when the conventional engine is running.
Troops mounted on stealth bikes could deploy via helicopters or verticle-landing V-22 Ospreys and later switch to silent mode for the final leg of their ground approach, Logos said.
. . . . .
. . . . Marine special ops in Afghanistan began improvising and bringing motorcycles into their weapons arsenal.They started acquiring cheap "Chinese knockoff" motorbikes in Afghan bazaars and customizing them. "They'd weld racks on the back and repaint them, camouflage them down," he said. "The bikes mainly became a way to overcome covering long distances over harsh terrain."
It was really a case of fighting fire with fire. Taliban have been riding mopeds and motorcycles to attack U.S. forces since the beginning of the war in 2001
Soon the Marines developed tactics using the bikes. They announced a formal training program in 2012.
. . . . "The bikes allowed Marines to patrol larger areas, to easily and quickly zip up hills. Quick access to higher terrain allowed a tactical advantage which was often safer than, say, a low-lying village, where Marines might risk getting caught in an ambush.
