Advances in Battery Technology
Portable energy is more efficiently aiding the SOF operator. By Peter Buxbaum SOTECH Correspondent density—packing more electricity into a smaller package—and The experiences of U.S. special operators in southwest Asia requiring less frequent replacements. Difficulties encountered due over the last decade and half, and around the world for that to the many different kinds of batteries required to power a diverse matter, are testimony to the increasing reliance of warfighters array of equipment have been mitigated with adapters that allow on electrically-powered devices. Small teams of deployed special for certain levels of interoperability among batteries, charging operations and other ground units invariably carry with them devices and equipment. Charging equipment increasingly relies on a range of devices—from radios and GPS units to night vision renewable sources such as solar and wind power. Power managegoggles, rangefinders and body armor cooling systems—that operment systems optimize the charging and power usage processes. ate on electric power. “Technology is playing an ever-increasing role In the early years of U.S. involvement in southin the U.S. military, which makes long battery life west Asia, the U.S. military relied on non-rechargeever more critical in the devices that servicememable batteries, not unlike those common in civilian bers use,” said James Poole, director of DoD sales life, to meet most of its portable and man-wearable at Panasonic System Communications Company of power needs. That meant that troops had to carry North America. “Men and women on the front line their power sources—or, in the case of rechargecannot stop their mission to charge their devices.” able batteries, the chargers—with them, adding “Some of the frustrations special operators have weight and bulk to their already heavy packs. Stoseen in the past have involved the necessity of carryries of warfighters and commanders scrounging ing a bunch of batteries and a bunch of types of bataround for any available batteries became the stuff teries and the inability to recharge those batteries of legend. Phil Robinson in the field,” said Phil Robinson, vice president for Since then, power technology has made great electronics and power systems at Protonex, a provider of fuel cell strides. Battery technology has advanced, providing greater power www.SOTECH-kmi.com
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