Blackhawk Partners With Side-Mounted Zero FX Moto

While the majority of the showpieces at the Dubai Airshow are standard commercial aircraft and minor improvements to production aircraft, some things stand out from the crowd with unforeseen novelty. The United Arab Emirates Special Operations Command displayed their Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters with an unusual modification from the norm: Twin side mounted ramps carrying a duo of electric motorcycles. 

It's no secret that the vast, empty expanses throughout the middle east are much easier scouted with small, lightweight vehicles, but forces are often left to choose the delivery method to bring lightweight, low profile equipment to distant locales without driving them under their own power. For small scouting operations, even quads can be prohibitive to move into position, requiring rigging and locking mechanisms to hold the systems in place while in transit. The UAE Blackhawk's External Stores Support System, commonly used for mounting equipment on wing hardpoints, have been used as the base of a Zero FX off-road motorcycle.

For operators ranging far beyond their initial insertion point, the small bike is a tremendous force multiplier. Freed from the tiring, taxing process of trekking into position on foot, personnel can remove normal limitations on carrying load, fatigue, and speed. The UAs representative described the system as a tester for reconnaissance missions for two operators to drop into position, complete their mission, and quietly exfiltrate by remounting the helicopter. It is currently unknown if batteries for the Zero FX are chargeable in flight, but its modular, hot-swappable modules are small enough that any mission needing more than the 30-60 miles of range can bring some along. The bikes weigh less than 500 pounds each, with a bountiful 78 ft-lb of torque horsepower available throughout the throttle's movement. 

The system is novel, and still in its developmental phase, but the long running military fantasy of larger motherships with smaller, nested vehicles within seems to be alive and well. The concept could see some refinement and inclusion with urban aerial mobility equipment, using a small scooter to travel around a city after commuting there by air. 

FMI: www.zeromotorcycles.com