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Canada's Stealth Nation Technology

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  • Canada's Stealth Nation Technology

    High in the Arctic, Canada is attempting to build a snowmobile that can quickly switch to silent mode for stealthy operations in the snow.


    It was only a matter of time until the world of stealth military equipment migrated to snowmobiles. And with apologies to Norway and Russia, there's no better country to attempt to pull it off than Canada, which is now fully testing out a $620,000 (CAD) ($594,000 U.S.) machine aimed at secretive military maneuvers in the Great White North. As reported by the Canadian Press, the Canadian Department of National Defence has dubbed the hybrid-electric prototype Loki—you know, after the tricky Norse god.
    What started in 2011 with an under-the-radar request for bids by Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) made a little more noise this week as reports surfaced of military personnel test-driving the machine at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, near Ottawa. PopMech contacted the Canadian government to request images of the machines, but we haven't heard back, and there are none currently available.

    The report says, "These experiments compared Loki against commercially available snowmobiles already in use, testing a wide variety of the snowmobiles' characteristics, including speed, towing capacity, endurance, mobility, usability, and, of course, noise emissions." Testing included trying out the electric side of the device for noise level, speed over shifting terrains, acceleration abilities and battery life. But national security keeps the results hidden.

    The report also says, "The prototype must be at least nearly as capable and reliable as a standard internal combustion snowmobile, while providing a significant noise reduction. For military purposes, it is not enough for a snowmobile to operate quietly." So, the focus for CrossChasm Technologies, the Waterloo, Ontario, company that got the bid but is not allowed to speak about the project, is to gain the quietest possible levels "where covertness may be required, especially given the increased propagation of sound in cold, dry, Arctic air."

    Loki came about because the Canadian government was looking for a way to increase its military capabilities in the Arctic. The search for a gas-powered snowmobile able to easily switch into completely silent electric-motor mode became key, according to the original request, which also specified a prototype with a range of at least 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) in silent mode at an average speed of 20 km/hour on level snow, and a top speed of at least 75 km/hour.

    "It also must have the ability to switch to 'silent' mode easily and quickly with minimal tools, at which point it can function solely on electrical power," the bid request said, all without weighing down the two-motor machine. In the request, DRDC required a prototype by March 31, 2013.

    Luke Coffey, a defense expert for the Heritage Foundation who specializes in transatlantic security, says he sees the obvious tactical advantage to the reported machine, but is wary of taxpayers footing such a steep bill.

    "Nevertheless, Canada has been at the forefront in terms of Arctic security, and the decision to procure a snowmobile with this type of capability is a reflection of this," he says. "If the price for such snowmobiles decreases over time there might be a market in the hunting and outdoor sporting community. It wouldn't be the first time that the general population benefited from costly technology that originated in the military sector."

    Maybe Canada's onto something.
    Click here if you're having trouble sleeping.
    "We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones." - François de La Rochefoucauld

  • #2
    Muahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
    Fear our Stealth Snowmobiles! We'll show those pesky Greenlanders who's boss!
    I am not delusional! Now if you'll excuse me, i'm gonna go dance with the purple wombat who's playing show-tunes in my coffee cup!
    Rules are like Egg's. They're fun when thrown out the window!
    Difference is irrelevant when dosage is higher than recommended!

    Comment


    • #3
      Global Warming is our only hope now ...

      Comment


      • #4
        Stealth weapons are a big problem cuz

        a) deterrence is not working anymore when the enemy can't see your stuff, so invisible spaceships or snowmobiles might lure someone into war

        b) when being attacked you might lose valuable time before you can strike back because you have trouble finding your invisible spaceships/snowmobiles.
        Blah

        Comment


        • #5
          Wonder Woman HATES it when she can't recall where she parked her invisible spaceship/snowmobile...
          AC2- the most active SMAC(X) community on the web.
          JKStudio - Masks and other Art

          No pasarán

          Comment


          • #6
            I kind of always wondered how she found it if it was invisible.
            Try http://wordforge.net/index.php for discussion and debate.

            Comment


            • #7
              She installed LoJack
              “It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see.”

              ― C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

              Comment


              • #8
                She can summon the plane telepathically - you couldn't sell that to me, but the OG amazon tech must have really been good.
                AC2- the most active SMAC(X) community on the web.
                JKStudio - Masks and other Art

                No pasarán

                Comment


                • #9
                  Canada's next secret weapon....Black Ops Beavers!
                  I am not delusional! Now if you'll excuse me, i'm gonna go dance with the purple wombat who's playing show-tunes in my coffee cup!
                  Rules are like Egg's. They're fun when thrown out the window!
                  Difference is irrelevant when dosage is higher than recommended!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    OG Amazon technology also includes cannon-proof bronze.
                    “It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see.”

                    ― C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I just want to make sure that I lay claim to having invented this term in ~2002
                      12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
                      Stadtluft Macht Frei
                      Killing it is the new killing it
                      Ultima Ratio Regum

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        What term would that be? As for the OP, it would seem that Toyota has already done this with the Prius. Thus, they could probably make a Snowmobile pretty quickly. I thought there were hybrid motorcycles too.
                        “It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see.”

                        ― C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Electric snowmobiles that can operate at arctic temps may be a tad problematic.
                          No, I did not steal that from somebody on Something Awful.

                          Comment


                          • pchang
                            pchang commented
                            Editing a comment
                            That’s what global warming is for.

                        • #14
                          I read the OP carefully again (no). If stealth here works as it does now for US planes (so affects radar detection, but certainly not the chance to spot a thing visually) I hope those snowmobiles get the typical black radar absorbing skin
                          Blah

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                          • #15
                            no comments...

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