OT - Only in Canada...

[Cdnwolf]

The Canadian military has been secretly test-driving a $620,000 stealth snowmobile in its quest to quietly whisk troops on clandestine operations in the Arctic.

The Canadian Press has learned that soldiers have taken the new hybrid-electric snowmobile prototype on trial runs to evaluate features such as speed, noise level, battery endurance and acceleration.

The Department of National Defence even has a nickname for its cutting-edge, covert tool: "Loki," after the "mythological Norse shape-shifting god."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/007-north-6...170007598.html

[stormlion1]

There creating a stealth snowmobile and calling it Loki? Nice joke with the name, almost a pun. Low-Key.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by stormlion1

There creating a stealth snowmobile and calling it Loki? Nice joke with the name, almost a pun. Low-Key.

good one

[rcaf_777]

No really sure why this just coming to light now, not a big secret MERX the Canadian goverment tender site has had the info up since 2011 when the tender was issued?

CSAR has an article on it dated 11 Aug 2011, so congats on yahoo for catching a story late, guess it was not newsworthy till it went into testing.

And It not really a stealth Snowmobile it an Gas-Electric Hybrid-Drive Light Over Snow Vehicle. With a quietier enginer it makes harder to hear. Saying that it is stealth impplies that it can aviod dectection by radar



http://www.casr.ca/doc-npp-hybrid-snowmobile.htm

[Bullet Magnet]

Originally Posted by rcaf_777

Saying that it is stealth implies that it can avoid detection by radar

Well, "stealth" sounds cooler to the readers rather than "a bit quieter". Also, to some, it sounds...more military.

As for yahoo being two years late on this, try to give them a break. They are catching up. I think it was 7 or 8 years ago I read their article about NASA putting a man on the moon.

[bobcat]

well since snowmobiles were invented for commando teams operating in arctic regions(i forget exactly which country the target was in) it makes sense that at least one military is trying to field an improved model. especially since the majority of likely combat theatres in the near future are in mountainous regions where snowmobiles would be an invaluable asset.

[rcaf_777]

Originally Posted by bobcat

well since snowmobiles were invented for commando teams operating in arctic regions(i forget exactly which country the target was in) it makes sense that at least one military is trying to field an improved model. especially since the majority of likely combat theatres in the near future are in mountainous regions where snowmobiles would be an invaluable asset.

Not Really

The M29 Weasel came from the work of British inventor Geoffrey Pyke in support of his proposals to attack Axis forces and industrial installations in Norway. Pyke's plan to hamper the German atomic weapons development became "Project Plough" for which he proposed a fast light mechanised device that would transport small groups of commando troops of the 1st Special Service Force across snow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M29_Weasel

Snow machines are actually much earlier than that, Joseph-Armand Bombardier began designing machines in 1920, and Igor Sikorsky built one as early as 1910. The frist recorded US patent is in 1916.

It was not till after WWII that many nations starting using snow machines for their militaries.

The Gas-Electric Hybrid-Drive Light Over Snow Vehicle, is less about making a machine for use in future conflicts as it is making machine for use in patrols in Canada's High Arctic. Canada needs keep Russian, Danes and even US from trying to exploit OUR resources in the North. As sited in Canada First Defence Strategy Paper

This machine will allow us to go future using less gas, which is hard to come on a frozen ice pack.

The commercial aspects to this to a good as many Canadians own snow machines.

I also would thank the government fo keep the R&D funds in Canada by letting McGill U do alot of engineering research.