sa国际传媒 is developing a stealth snowmobile. The $620,000 prototype has been tested in Ontario to see how it will work in military operations in the Arctic.
No, it鈥檚 not a joke, but it will undoubtedly become a giggle-inducing topic for American late-night TV comedians, who are fond of exploiting stereotypes of their northern neighbours.
A stealth snowmobile? What鈥檚 more Canadian than that? It鈥檚 so quiet and unassuming. And polite. Don鈥檛 want to wake up the neighbours, do we?
The Americans might not be sneering yet, but there鈥檚 the hint of a smirk in the ABC News website article.
鈥淲hat speeds quietly around the wintry wilderness of the great white north and costs $620,000?鈥� asks ABC, which then refers to the machine as 鈥渢he sneaky snow cruiser.鈥�
If someone鈥檚 going to develop a stealth snowmobile, why not us? The snowmobile is a Canadian invention, after all. And gosh, we have all that snow to look after.
But it sounds like a solution in search of a problem. Why the need to whisk silently about in the Arctic?
Michael Byers, a professor of global politics and international law at the University of British Columbia, wonders about that.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see a whole lot of evidence that criminals and terrorists are scooting around sa国际传媒鈥檚 North on snowmobiles and that we have to sneak up on them,鈥� he told The Canadian Press. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 help but wonder whether they鈥檝e been watching too many [James] Bond movies.鈥�
The details are probably too technical for mere mortals, but it raises the question: If silence is the main requirement, why not look to an ordinary sedan? With engines much larger than those in snowmobiles, most cars cruise our streets relatively quietly.
What kind of muffler could you build for $620,000?
