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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."
Your reading comprehension needs work. People are well aware of that motivation, especially in Canada.
It still doesn't mean it's an issue usefully addressed by a stealth snowmobile, which was Byers' point. It would make a lot more sense to deploy, say, ice-capable military ships (Canada doesn't really have any, yet), subs that can actually work under ice (the very modest Canadian sub fleet is diesel, and ill-suited for polar work), or long-endurance manned planes and/or aerial drones. The biggest problem in the Canadian Arctic is the sheer distance and the endurance required to cross it in harsh conditions. Snowmobiles are useful, but over short distances. They are still logistically challenging because you have to get them there, get fuel in place, they have to work in tough conditions, be maintainable, etc. The technology is pretty well developed for internal combustion engined ones. Will a stealth snowmobile help with any of these practical issues? I doubt it. Maybe if it's a whole lot more fuel efficient, reliable, or something like that. But if it isn't *way* beyond the normal specs somehow and still as reliable or better than a normal one (especially for $600k!!!!), then I can't see the point either. Who cares about "stealth" capability if it has half the range or is more tempermental (for example). To me this thing doens't make any more sense than a military-grade stealth Zamboni.
Not entirely unbelievable. A dive buddy of mine was doing some part time commercial dive work. One spring he was helping inspect the cooling water intakes for a steam plant in downtown Ottawa, near the river. Guess what he found up against one of the gratings. Yeah, a guy who'd gone through the ice on a snowmobile that winter.
Put him right off diving for a while, it did.
-- Alastair
I dunno if you have any experience pulling an ahkio sled for several miles with a squad in rucks and overwhites, but it freaking SUCKS. Tennis rackets or white rockets, it doesn't matter, it is an awful experience. There has been no experience in my life (which has experienced some exhausting things) that made me more exhausted.
When some Canadian "Arctic policy expert" opines that no one needs a small, quiet, efficient prime mover because of a lack of "terrorists", I am reminded why no one asks "Arctic policy experts" about military matters. Same reason I don't ask soldiers about environmental policy.
THL phish sticks
I just can't understand why it's so fashionable among Lefties to hate on her.
If she did something bad I would understand. Is that what pisses you off? That there's no real skeleton in her closet? Like you've been cheated out of a REAL reason to hate her so you have to make them up? Maybe it makes you feel superior? I just don't get it.
What did she do to you to earn your ire?
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.
Not always useful in the Canadian Arctic. Pack ice sometimes extends for miles out to sea. It's a maze of 3-10 metre ridges that are an absolute bitch to navigate. Trying to pull ammo and supplies through on skis would be absolute torture. Hell, just crossing on a snowmobile through the pack ice on each side of the bay in Cape Dorset (maybe a kilometre and a half) left me sweating like a horse in -25 degree weather.
There's not a lot of pack ice on the old Finnish/Soviet border....
Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.