Marine dirt bike 'gangs' of Afghanistan> Mil Stelth Dirt Bike

Discussion in 'Tin Foil Hat Lounge' started by HK_User, Apr 28, 2014.


  1. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    This is a story that has been around for years in different forms, maybe now the electric combo will arrive?

    Marine Corps 'motorcycle gangs' in Afghanistan - CNN.com

    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.
    "It looks like a nice bike," said Michael Golembesky, a former Marine Corps special operations staff sergeant, after watching a CNN video of the RedShift MX. "I don't know about that wheelie action though," he laughed. "I can't see any of our guys doin' that."
    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.
    Controlling engine noise would be an important weapon for bike-mounted forces, Golembesky said.
    But Golembesky said Pentagon motorcycle developers should keep this in mind: "The guys on the ground love to keep it simple. It has to be simple because as soon as you start making things complex, things break, fall apart, it's less feasible."
    [​IMG]
    Ex-Marine special forces operator Michael Golembesky describes how troops used dirt bikes to fight Taliban in Afghanistan.
    Golembesky -- now a 30-something Colorado-based defense contractor and writer -- knows a thing or two about fighting Taliban on wheels in the Afghan mountains. He did it for about a year with the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command after two deployments in Iraq. During his time in Afghanistan with MARSOC, Golembesky and his teammates used small, four-wheeled, all-terrain vehicles to push quickly through rough topography during anti-Taliban missions.
    Soon after he left the unit in 2010, Golembesky 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, said Golembesky. "They know the most practical, low stress, low impact way to get around the battlefield and maneuver."
    Soon the Marines developed tactics using the bikes. They announced a formal training program in 2012.
    Troops rode the motorcycles regularly during MARSOC combat reconnaissance patrols, Golembesky said. "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.
    Another advantage: By constantly moving on motorbikes, special ops forces keep enemies guessing about their location. Taliban "don't know where you're going and they don't know what your intent is," Golembesky said. "The motorbike just amplifies that."
    [​IMG]
    Michael Golembesky served in an elite U.S. Marines special forces unit in Afghanistan.
    U.S. forces can use the bikes to sneak up behind enemies or block their escape. "You can do a lot of damage, just having that mobility."
    American special forces including Navy SEALs and Air Force combat controllers have been using motorcycles for their operations for years. Logos says the widely used current U.S. military motorcycle -- imaginatively dubbed the M1030M1 -- is based on a platform that's nearly 30 years old.
    Golembesky's forthcoming book on MARSOC operations in Afghanistan, "Level Zero Heroes," is set to drop in September. The book follows a 2012 article that grabbed attention on military blogs. Its title: "MARSOC Motorcycle Gangs in Afghanistan."
    "Whenever you get a bunch of guys together on motorcycles with firepower, it's basically a gang," Golembesky said. "A very lethal gang."
     
    Georgia_Boy, kellory and tulianr like this.
  2. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    There is a lot of interest in the Electric Side-by-Side ATV, called the "Big Boy" that was modified into a Hybrid Vehicle, by the addition of a Honda 3Kw Inverter/Generator and an Outback 150Amp Charge Controller. This setup was investigated by few Navy Seal Teams, and was found to be very QUIET, and had significant Range Capabilities, even while towing a Small Utility Trailer, for Larger Weapons, Ammo, Rations, Fuel, and assorted Mission Equipment. Four such Rigs could transport an 8 Man Team, just about anywhere they wanted to go, complete with Sat Based Comm & Nav Gear. Drive on Honda power to within 10 Klicks of the target, then switch to All Electric, while navigating to the Rally Point, and then dismount, and carry out the Mission. Then reverse, during the exfil, as they have a 25 Mile All Electric Range @ 35 MPH, and then fire up the Honda power, once clear of the 10 Klick Zone, to make it back to base..... ...... YMMV.....
     
  3. NotSoSneaky

    NotSoSneaky former supporter

    I've been giving some serious thought to one of these:

    Zero Motorcycles
    [​IMG]

    A bit more than I'd like to spend but boyoboy that'd be the ticket for hunting off local logging roads and SHTF.
     
    kellory likes this.
  4. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    I like it! Maybe add solar panels to the roof to charge it when stored?
     
  5. NotSoSneaky

    NotSoSneaky former supporter

    That would be the plan, meebee even on top of one of then itty bitty trailers. [tongue]
     
    kellory likes this.
  6. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Required volatage?
     
  7. NotSoSneaky

    NotSoSneaky former supporter

    Recharge time 6 hr off standard 110V outlet if that's what you mean. Also has a "quick recharge" option for a 95% charge in one hour. Entry level bike is 3K less too.

    Moar info in the linky.
     
    kellory likes this.
  8. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Has good posiblilities then with solar recharging:)
     
  9. CaboWabo5150

    CaboWabo5150 Hell's coming with me

    "Dirt bike gangs"... Really ? Seems to me that a drone strike from 30,000 ft is a little more "stealthy"...
     
  10. vonslob

    vonslob Monkey++

    I used to want a rukon Rokon 2-Wheel Drive Motorcycles but now i want one of these. An electric bike that does 70mph and only weights 250lbs. I now know what i want for christmass.
     
  11. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    When they can be purchased for $4000!
     
  12. vonslob

    vonslob Monkey++

    Cheaper than a rukon
     
  13. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Saw one the other day. Used as new 6K with side car.

    Swampy zone of LA.
     
  14. HappyPuppy

    HappyPuppy Monkey

    Really cool. I do love motorcycles. Really anything in 2 wheels. I am a huge cyclist and pedal the mountain bike as much as possible.
     
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