Since this is Dirt Road Trip and we’re all about things with knobby tires, today’s post is a tribute to one of those things that makes our country great: badass military technology. So here’s our highlight of some of the fantastic innovation happening in military all-terrain vehicles, making our armed forces exponentially more badass safer and more effective in protecting the freedoms we enjoy here in the great U S of A.
We don’t profess to be military tech junkies or know everything about the full military arsenal (clearly we lack the necessary top-secret clearances for that kind of intel), BUT even the ones we know about are breathtaking.
Oshkosh Defense JLTV
After a drawn-out battle between Lockheed Martin, AM General, and Oshkosh to win the contract for the replacement vehicle for the Humvee, Oshkosh won with its awesome Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
Photo Credits: Oshkosh Defense, LLC
The JLTV features 20” of wheel travel with a 4-wheel independent suspension that is ride-height adjustable. That translates into much better high-speed performance than the Humvees it’ll replace.
In terms of protection, the JLTV has as much armor as a light tank, and Oshkosh’s vehicle features special cab design elements to isolate and protect occupants from IED explosions.
There is no shortage of technological features and weapons on the JLTV – everything from turret guns, tube-launched missiles, and remote-launched weapons, in addition to advanced surrounding awareness technology.
At a unit cost of over $400K, these are not cheap, and Oshkosh plans to pump out 3,000 units per year for years to come.
Polaris Dagor
If you are a fan of the Polaris RZR, just imagine the bigger and brawnier big brother sporting camo, and you wouldn’t be too far off from the Polaris Dagor, which is a small, light 4×4 side-by-side for military use.
Photo Credits: Polaris Industries, Inc.
The Dagor, in open door configuration, can carry up to 9 troops (3,250b payload capacity), be slung under a Blackhawk helicopter, and it features a trophy-truck inspired suspension (yee-ha!). To sweeten the deal, the Dagor is powered by a turbo diesel motor with up to a 500-mile range.
Compared to the sub-$20K civilian RZR, all of that Dagor badassery comes at a steep price of $149,000 each.
Zero Motorcycles MMX
Silent and deadly. That’s what comes to mind when you lay eyes on the Zero Motorcycles MMX, a new breed of military offroad motorcycle featuring a 100% electrical drivetrain – making it damn near silent on the go.
Photo Credits: Zero Motorcycles, Inc.
The bike is most useful for short, tactical missions with a 35-140 minute range of operation, depending on how aggressive you’re getting with it. It also features nearly 9” of suspension travel on each end and comes in at an impressive light weight of only 280 lbs.
While I couldn’t find solid intel on what these scooters cost, rumor has it their base price is about $15K each.
Just imagine some of our finest special forces guys rolling up completely undetected by the enemy on some of these electric stallions. Merica!
Next time you’re looking at the cut Uncle Sam takes out of your paycheck – feel a little bit of comfort knowing that at least some of it is being invested in the most capable and technologically advanced offroad vehicles available today – anywhere and at any price, to keep our soldiers safe and on top of the armed-forces food chain.
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