ROME – Put an e-bike instead of the mule. To move easily on the rugged mountain terrain and reach otherwise inaccessible places, mules have always been the preferred means of transport for the Alpine troops. But now the time has come to modernize and the quadrupeds could also be joined by e-bikes in a tactical configuration, designed specifically for intense use on mountain trails and in a snowy environment.
They are produced by the Venetian company Fantic Motor, leader in two-wheelers and iconic off-road brand, which delivered 9 pedal assisted bicycles to the Alpine Troops of the Italian Army in South Tyrol, at the training area of Villa Bassa. a six-month trial. As reported by the newspaper Alto Adige, the desire to proceed with the experimentation of this modern vehicle in an operational key stems from the recent experiences gained in the “Alpine Troops’ mountaineering raids”, which have highlighted the need to have suitable means for mobility, to low environmental and acoustic impact, such as to be able to travel medium-mountain routes in a short time in the modern context of Mountain Warfare.
According to the CEO of Fantic Motor Mariano Roman, “the stress test of the Alpini will allow the company to acquire even more data for a continuous improvement of the product”. Explaining the initiative, General Claudio Berto told the South Tyrolean newspaper that “the Alpine Troops have in their mobility one of the points that substantiate their ability to face the difficulties of operating in a challenging environment such as the mountain one”. The commander of the Alpine Troops defined “possible and plausible a military use of e-bikes, even in those places that fatigue and slopes made inaccessible.” For the CEO of Difesa Servizi Spa Fausto Recchia “the experimentation opens the way for a new and important activity of Difesa Servizi Spa in the field of testing for the civil industry, which allows our Armed Forces to evaluate new tools and new technologies of potential interest “.
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