The military->ke3536 is always a cool place to start if you’re looking for the latest in vehicular technology, or at least in this case, motorcycle technology->ke1701. Sure, there’s already a proliferation of battery-powered bikes in the market, but there’s always something new and something better out there, right?

Logos Technologies and Alta Motors, with help from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), may have a project on its hands. It’s called the SilentHawk, and if its name is any indication, it’s being prepared to become a military bike that has the best of both worlds: the efficiency of an electric motorcycle->ke3364 and the performance of a standard dirt bike->ke1798.

The SilentHawk is still in its development phase, but the project appears to have the backing of people who can really turn it into something special. From what we know, Alta Motors’ Redshift motocross bike is the starting point of the project and that the company is teaming up with Logos Technologies to make it happen. It also the financing from DARPA to see this project through, which, you know, always helps. The objective, it seems, is to have it ready over the next 18 months.

It’s still unclear how the parties involved plan to do that, but at least we know that it has an idea on how to circumvent the obvious limitations of an electric motorcycle by slapping a supplementary power source that can at least address questions about its performance capabilities.

That much is all we know, but if the SilentHawk does come alive, it could serve a really good purpose for the military, be it in the near or far future.

Why it matters

Can you imagine a dirt bike created specifically for military purposes? It was previously thought of as impractical given how exposed a rider is to potential danger. But while the SilentHawk doesn't necessarily address that problem, it does have the potential to be a small and agile reconnaissance tool to help the military in some of its operations.

I'm admittedly talking like somebody who doesn't know the inner workings and development of the project. I'm really just thinking out loud here, which is probably the same thing most people will say about the project so far.

It's definitely an interesting concept that deserves to be looked into further. That's where DARPA comes into the picture. That says a lot that a government agency involved in matters of advanced research would look into a project like this and give it the necessary funding to see it through.

Hopefully, Logos Technologies and Alta Motors are able to whip something up in time for us to see a finished prototype sooner than later.