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Canadian Military Developing Stealth Snowmobile
innocent_white_lamb writes "The Canadian military is currently testing a $620,000 hybrid-electric stealth snowmobile. Testing includes speed, towing capacity, endurance, mobility, usability, and of course, noise emissions. The testing and most other information about the stealth snowmobile is secret and very little information has been released other than the fact that it does exist. One document reads 'The noise level of an internal combustion engine cannot be reduced to an acceptable level for missions where covertness may be required, especially given the increased propagation of sound in cold, dry, Arctic air.' Therefore, National Defence's research agency is 'pursuing the development of a "silent" snowmobile for winter operations in Canada, specifically in the Arctic.' Michael Byers, an Arctic policy expert, questions the need for a stealth snowmobile. 'I don't see a whole lot of evidence that criminals and terrorists are scooting around Canada's North on snowmobiles and that we have to sneak up on them,' he said."
Watch out! I hear their hockey sticks will be killer!
Step 1.
Paint it white.
Step 2.
Have a beer eh!
One of them falls in and sinks. Another one goes in and pulls him back into the boat and starts giving him mouth-to-mouth. He stops and says "Phew! I don't remember Stosh smelling this bad!". And the other one says, "Yeah, and I don't remember him wearing a snowmobile suit, either."
I attempt to cross Nunavut in a Range Rover. Captain Slow takes a rather novel approach. And Hammond uses a state of the art stealth /snow mobile/. Tonight on Top Gear. *cue theme*
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Commies to her right, stealth snowmobiles to her left. Does DEFCON go to 11?
I hope the Mounties gets first dibs!
has been used for arctic warfare for hundreds of years as a cheap, effective way of stealthily moving a snowy environment. Hopefully the stealth sled won't ruin those capabilities.
All efforts are lost if you're carrying your iPhone on a stealth-snowmobile. (It's a sticker)
Michael Byers, an Arctic policy expert, questions the need for a stealth snowmobile. 'I don't see a whole lot of evidence that criminals and terrorists are scooting around Canada's North on snowmobiles and that we have to sneak up on them,'
Then Michael Byers is not quite the expert: when the ice cap in the North Pole shrinks or disappears completely, a whole new theater will come into play. Claims have already been filed for integration of the North Arctic Ocean into their exclusive economic zones from several countries, including Canada.
The three laws of thermodynamics:(1) You can't win. (2) You can't break even. (3) You can't even quit.
I guess they painted it white and put a muffler on it. :D
Well, if you wanted it quiet, I don't think a muffler would really do it.
I suspect you'd have to put in a completely different engine.
I'm not giving a large probability to a pure electric for two reasons:
. . First, most batteries don't seem to do that well in the really cold environments. You know, like Canada and Alaska, among many others.
. . Second, batteries, especially ones designed for really cold places, just wouldn't give it much range, which would be a vital concern for the locations you'd primarily be using a snowmobile.
As long as they don't have to cancel the F-35 contract to fund it... :-/
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
This is a totally ridiculous waste of money.
We need to start developing stealth moose STAT!
It's always nice when militaries do their part for the environment. Lead by example, also in the issues sounding to the community you work in. Please excuse the pound.
After the dual poutine cannons find their mark, targets will feel sluggish and satisfied. Canuck tech rules the globe.
Paint it white....just don't you canucks forget where you park it.
I live in Canada, and I LOVE our government's goofy dedication to making sure we retain military capabilities in the frozen north. (bit less happy with everything else the gov does, but ehhhh, politics)
Stealth snowmobile? FUND IT! More Icebreakers? FUND IT! New ice-base in the Arctic Circle? DO YOU EVEN NEED TO ASK?!
Honestly, it beats the heck out of invading Iraq.
The story is a bit misleading, by the way. $640,000 is the cost of the development contract, not the price per machine (which will be significantly lower, obviously).
Canada has concerns about protecting the sovereignty of its arctic territories. Snowmobiles could prove useful in that.
Battle for the Arctic heats up
Defending our sovereignty in the Arctic
Why everyone wants a piece of the Arctic
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
frickin' laser beams I'm OK with it.
You don't poke a turd without getting shit on your finger,
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
What will be said is, "Sooo, you didn't hear us coming, sorry, eh."
Silence is a state of mime.
($640,000 CAN) ought be enough for eveybody to have one eh?
A man spends the first half of his life accumulating stuff, the second trying to get rid of it all.
Yeah, more fast and secure that nSSaSSmobile.
I am waiting for Rick Moranis to show up.
Show yer beaver, Canajians !!
I can't even describe it. It's a feeling of visualizing my tax dollars being fed to a guy in a quanza hut working on the snowmobile, with large flakes of snow falling, and at least one or two two-four's of Canadian being slowly consumed late into the night, with Neil Young music playing in the background.
Have gnu, will travel.
Quonset hut, you fucking retard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quonset_hut
THL phish sticks
April Fool's is actually celebrated August 18th in Canada.
*** Don't be dull.***
I call bullshit.
$620,000.00 for testing maybe.
620 grand for the snowmobile itself?
No way.
A hybrid-electric snowmobile seems a bit excessive if you're just trying to make it more stealthy. Switching up from a two cycle to a four cycle, adding some soundproofing and extending the muffler system would make one pretty quiet but not cost much as most of it would be off the shelf tech and would probably extend the range by using a more efficient engine and keeping the weight low. You're going to lose a bit of performance but that is always to be expected when going for stealth.
In that flat terrain, stealth MUST include radar stealth. Apparently not:
"Soldiers wielding a radar gun also tested the stealth snowmobile's acceleration as it raced 100 metres"
They use expansion chambers to boost their power, (a number of small engines do this, this is why, in theory at least, why so many motorcycles are so noisy).
Also, for anyone wondering about the lack of specificity about the engine type, it is a military project, so of course they are keeping a lot of the information to themselves.
Canada has had these for years. Check em out all over Google eh! https://www.google.com/search?q=dog+sled&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=qpIRUsPeLqHOyAGx2oA4&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=993
I just know it will be worth all those tax dollars as soon as our military wizards work out a few issues ... for example right now it's just too exhausting for the dogs to pull it for more than 1/8 mile or so..
I mean we're canadians we should have the best damn snowmobiles for our army money could by, i'd rather spend the cash on that than those crappy jets the US is pushing on us or spending the money sending our people to some 3rd world shit hole helping solve problems created by americans
Finally the disappearing of the ice cap on the north pole makes sense! It's not caused by global warming, and it's not melting at all.
Canada needs a stealth snowmobile because they turned the ice cap into stealth snow.
what else could it be for?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_Quebec_Maple_Syrup_Producers#Strategic_reserve
What part of `yes no` don't you understand?
They wouldn't even have to ask twice.
> The noise level of an internal combustion engine cannot be reduced to an acceptable level for missions where covertness may be required, especially given the increased propagation of sound in cold, dry, Arctic air.
Snowmobiles generally use Wankel-type internal combustion enginee. This is because total failure is not an option. If the engine quits in the middle of nowhere you either freeze into an iceball or Mr. Polar Bear gets a de luxe supper... Multi-rotor Wankel engines, even if they lose tight sealing, will continue to spin and provide a rreduced level of power for some time, usually allowing the riders to reach refuge. Piston engines, while less noisy and more economical on lubrication and fuel oils, do not have this level of extra safety.
It is very dubious, if a hybrid snowmobile could be made safe enough for SOLAS reqs, considering the risk of short circuits and the various problems with battery cell capacity loss at below-freezing temperatures. Maybe a Stirling engine (external combustion weirdness) could be utilized, which is silent and has most benefits of a steam engine without the risk of boiler explosions. I think Canada already has non-nuclear submarines with LOX-based Stirling engines for air independent submerged propulsion?
Snowmobiles are irritatingly noisy. for homeowners in Arctic regions, for animals in their native habitats, for hunters or photographers exploring those regions, and even for kids and hobbyists tooling around for fun, reducing the noise impact of snowmobiles would be very useful. A much quieter snowmobile would have a ready market, as long as it wasn't ridiculously expensive.
That raises the question of "Why isn't there already a privately built such vehicle?". Do they face the problem we in IT constantly see, of people who think we're spending too much money because it takes us so long to do the first version of a new system, to test it, and to make sure it actually works in wet snow?
Pennywise doesn't like uninvited visitors.
Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
Karma: Chameleon
After injecting millions into the project(that's like, billions for us Canadians), we've still seen nothing, it's a total success!
After Spectre or whoever heisted their Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve last year, it only makes sense to beef up their military. To do any less would be irresponsible.
After all, next time it might be C.O.B.R.A. Make sure to load those snowmobiles with parachutes.
>Michael Byers, an Arctic policy expert, questions the need for a stealth snowmobile. 'I don't see a whole lot of evidence that criminals and terrorists are scooting around Canada's North on snowmobiles and that we have to sneak up on them,' he said.
Canada spends less (as a % of gdp) than most any other developed nation, and we have an unusually vast territory to assert sovereignty over. Is it really so fucking hard to see the desire to research inexpensive arctir force multipiers?
...Or a Quinzee?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinzee
Don't piss on the walls. They'll melt.
As soon as the inevitable breach of that technology becomes oldhat.
Kwanza Hut?
Isn't that your one-stop shop for all your African-American Winter harvest festival decorations?
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
He can make a stealthy snowmobile on a budget with just a roll of duct tape and some bailing twine!
Surprised no one mentioned stealthy beer drinking. SCTV is forgotten,,,,
Eskimos, take note.
Those who wish they thought of something always question other's initiatives. In this case the Canadians are mimicking polar bears
Canada is afraid Ted Cruz will try to sneak back into the country and I really can't blame them! BUT why do you dislike America so much you gave him to US? He is good for a laugh, but, he is tiring!
OK only half joking here:
If trying to establish Sovereignty in the north, "stealth" snowmobiles is the last thing you need. Heck take the mufflers off! The problem of the north is it is big, and empty. You need to let everyone know that "Hey we have been here, and are doing stuff, etc...". Being stealthy about it and no one knows.
Anyway this is just more DOD lunacy and Harper/Conservatives pro-military agenda. This couldn't be more of a funnel money to military for no reason if they tried.
This is just like the "hardened" warships they ordered (frigates I believe) for billions. Unless the evil master plan is to use the tar sands pollution to melt the arctic enough so that they might actually be able to go there (Watch youtube videos of actual icebreakers getting stuck, wonder how long a frigate might last)... No to mention there is no one to fight there ever, nor will their ever be.
What Canada should have spent its money on was Nuclear Icebreakers and Helicopters capable of rescue missions. If you want to show you control a certain area, that would be the way to do it. Look at the biggest heavy hitter in the whole group, Russia, how many Nuclear Ice Breakers do they have compared to Canada. Not to mention the good they would do for remote communities. Anyway its crazy.