The combat vehicles of today are more like ground-based fast jets than the traditional steel box-like combat vehicles of the past. Packed full of sensors, advanced communication systems, active protection systems, electric power and specialized lethality systems, they demand more instantaneous and sustained power than ever before. The objective today is silent operation of these systems in order to increase battlefield survivability; the future aspiration is to also have silent mobility in the last “tactical half mile”.
Lead-acid batteries and legacy power management systems simply cannot support these ever-increasing number of on-board systems and silent watch capabilities, forcing operators to continuously idle the main engine of the vehicle for sustained power. This compromises the stealth of the vehicle on the battlefield and increases the vehicle’s thermal and acoustic signatures, as well as increasing fuel consumption and adding logistical burden on the mission.
Galvion’s Symbasys™ power team has extensive experience working with power programs of record for military ground vehicles, the Joint Strike Fighter Ground Power Unit (GPU), F-18 power systems, and military communications towers and infrastructure, providing us with a unique set of understandings and capabilities in the platform power field. Learnings from the programs have informed the development of our best-in-class silent watch battery system.