The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded funding to Logos Technologies to continue development of the SilentHawk military motorcycle in partnership with California’s Alta Motors (formerly BRD).

In Phase I of the project, Logos and Alta tested Alta’s existing RedShift MX electric motocross bike in multiple terrains and riding conditions to understand the requirements for an off-road military motorcycle. In Phase II, the companies will build a prototype, combining the RedShift MX with Logos’s quiet, multi-fueled hybrid power system, which it developed for a separate unmanned aerial vehicle program.

When fully developed, SilentHawk would allow small military teams to move long distances quickly and stealthily across harsh enemy terrain, meeting DARPA’s expectations for high performance, efficiency and military utility.

“Quiet, all-wheel drive capability at extended range in a lightweight, rugged, single-track vehicle would support successful operations in extreme terrain conditions and contested environments,” said Wade Pulliam, Manager of Advanced Concepts for Logos. “A unique field-swappable power system concept will allow unprecedented customizability of the bike, while still meeting and exceeding the government’s challenging requirements. We also believe that the system resulting from this second phase of the program would have applicability to other ground vehicle systems beyond motorcycles.”

Source: Logos Technologies via Green Car Congress