A silent , nimble , two-wheeled killing machine . That 's what Pentagon researchers envision , now that they 've greenlighted developing a hybrid motorcycle powered by two sources : an engine that burns several types of fuel and a stealthy , super-quiet electric motor . Imagine an elite U.S. fighting force deployed in a mountainous region of Afghanistan , riding motorbikes that are nearly silent . The loudest sound is tires on dirt as they twist and turn down dried river beds and up narrow goat trails . When they launch their assault on a Taliban stronghold , the enemy is taken by surprise . The Pentagon 's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has tapped defense contractor Logos Technologies and motorcycle maker BRD to design the motorbike . As a platform for the project , Logos is talking about BRD 's 250-pound RedShift MX . Although the RedShift MX is totally electric , Logos wants to combine that with an engine that burns regular gasoline , as well as jet fuel and diesel . It 's expected to have a range of 100 miles and make very little noise , even when the conventional engine is running . `` It looks like a nice bike , '' said Michael Golembesky , a former Marine Corps special operations staff sergeant , after watching a CNN video of the RedShift MX . `` I do n't know about that wheelie action though , '' he laughed . `` I ca n't see any of our guys doin ' that . '' Troops mounted on stealth bikes could deploy via helicopters or verticle-landing V-22 Ospreys and later switch to silent mode for the final leg of their ground approach , Logos said . Controlling engine noise would be an important weapon for bike-mounted forces , Golembesky said . But Golembesky said Pentagon motorcycle developers should keep this in mind : `` The guys on the ground love to keep it simple . It has to be simple because as soon as you start making things complex , things break , fall apart , it 's less feasible . '' Golembesky -- now a 30-something Colorado-based defense contractor and writer -- knows a thing or two about fighting Taliban on wheels in the Afghan mountains . He did it for about a year with the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command after two deployments in Iraq . During his time in Afghanistan with MARSOC , Golembesky and his teammates used small , four-wheeled , all-terrain vehicles to push quickly through rough topography during anti-Taliban missions . Soon after he left the unit in 2010 , Golembesky said Marine special ops in Afghanistan began improvising and bringing motorcycles into their weapons arsenal . They started acquiring cheap `` Chinese knockoff '' motorbikes in Afghan bazaars and customizing them . `` They 'd weld racks on the back and repaint them , camouflage them down , '' he said . `` The bikes mainly became a way to overcome covering long distances over harsh terrain . '' It was really a case of fighting fire with fire . Taliban have been riding mopeds and motorcycles to attack U.S. forces since the beginning of the war in 2001 , said Golembesky . `` They know the most practical , low stress , low impact way to get around the battlefield and maneuver . '' Soon the Marines developed tactics using the bikes . They announced a formal training program in 2012 . Troops rode the motorcycles regularly during MARSOC combat reconnaissance patrols , Golembesky said . `` The bikes allowed Marines to patrol larger areas , to easily and quickly zip up hills . Quick access to higher terrain allowed a tactical advantage which was often safer than , say , a low-lying village , where Marines might risk getting caught in an ambush . Another advantage : By constantly moving on motorbikes , special ops forces keep enemies guessing about their location . Taliban `` do n't know where you 're going and they do n't know what your intent is , '' Golembesky said . `` The motorbike just amplifies that . '' U.S. forces can use the bikes to sneak up behind enemies or block their escape . `` You can do a lot of damage , just having that mobility . '' American special forces including Navy SEALs and Air Force combat controllers have been using motorcycles for their operations for years . Logos says the widely used current U.S. military motorcycle -- imaginatively dubbed the M1030M1 -- is based on a platform that 's nearly 30 years old . Golembesky 's forthcoming book on MARSOC operations in Afghanistan , `` Level Zero Heroes , '' is set to drop in September . The book follows a 2012 article that grabbed attention on military blogs . Its title : `` MARSOC Motorcycle Gangs in Afghanistan . '' `` Whenever you get a bunch of guys together on motorcycles with firepower , it 's basically a gang , '' Golembesky said . `` A very lethal gang . ''
The company is developing a silent , rugged combat motorcycle . U.S. Marines use combat bikes in Afghan special ops , says author . They offer tactical advantages to special forces .