The Quest For Power
A Soldier using the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle, Nett Warrior, and Family of Weapons Sight – Individual. US Army photo.
The modern Warfighter, relying upon numerous electronic devices, operates as an integrated platform within a wider network to deliver unmatched operational performance. However, all of this capability presents a very real operational energy challenge - the quest for power is as important for today's Warfighter as the quest for fire was to our ancient cave-dwelling ancestors.
The operational energy needs of deployed close combat forces require micro-grid power systems, mobile and portable power storage, and power generation systems, fixed and mobile bulk battery charging systems, and Warfighter worn/carried batteries and power management systems.
The lack of power source interoperability has placed a heavy burden on our Soldiers, often requiring 20-40 lbs. of different types of spare batteries to be carried. This can lead to an individual load totaling well over 100 lbs. – eroding both physical and cognitive performance. Photo credit: US Army.
The Army is working on new advanced power solutions that will reduce the Soldier’s battery burden and cognitive load with standard architectures, higher energy density, and higher performance – such as the Small Tactical Universal Battery (STUB) series. But meanwhile, fielding is also underway for new tactical electronics systems that will require even more spare batteries to be carried by the Soldier.
As the graph below shows, these new systems are already requiring more than double the amount of operational energy compared the legacy Nett Warrior system, and those planned for the near future will require even more. Soldiers already need to carry 20-40 pounds (or more) of spare batteries to last a 72-hour mission. How much will the Warfighter's battery burden increase if things continue at this rate?
Data source: C5ISR Team, US Army DEVCOM. Illustration: EXO Charge / Xentris Wireless.
The good news is that micro-electronics for military systems are following the same trajectory as the commercial market – they are getting smaller and providing higher performance. For example, a typical DC-DC converter today is 70% smaller and 3 times more powerful than one from 20 years ago. Another example is the use of gallium nitride (GaN) FETS instead of traditional silicon (Si) MOSFETS. GaN-based power devices offer a number of benefits over silicon, such as, up to 5x higher power density, higher switching speeds, greater temperature stability and lower resistance, 50% reduction in losses, and a reduction in 20-40% reduction in device size using the much smaller GaN transistors instead of Si.
Since 2015 the benchmark power density for a 48 V – 12 V DCDC converter has increased by a factor of eight. Image credit: Alex Lidow, Efficient Power Conversion.
Incorporating the latest Universal Serial Bus (USB®) technologies and standards is another great way to achieve higher power and data performance, whilst also enabling devices to be made smaller and lighter. The most recent USB specification update - USB4 Version 2.0 – is a major upgrade that enables 80Gbps performance over USB Type-C® cables and connectors. The USB4 2.0 specification doubles the maximum aggregate bandwidth of USB and enables devices to deliver 80Gbps over existing 40Gbps USB-C passive cables, as well as newer 80Gbps USB-C active cables.
For comparison, the US Army’s Nett Warrior system uses a USB 2.0 architecture that is limited to a total power output of 2.5 watts (5V at 500 mA), and a data transfer rate of 480 Mb/second.
USB Power Delivery (PD) technology enables higher power as well as faster and more efficient charging of devices over a USB-C connection. The latest USB PD specification (Rev. 3.1) is a major update that enables up to 240W of power over full-featured USB Type-C® cable and connector. This represents a 96% increase in power capacity and a 70% reduction in charging time compared to PD 2.0.
USB Programmable Power Supply (PPS) is a related USB technology that enables adaptive changes in current and voltage to make charging more efficient and faster through intelligent device negotiation protocols.
Power and data requirements for military applications have grown tremendously in the past 10 years, and the benefits that the latest USB technologies can provide for enhanced operational capabilities are becoming ever more apparent - and necessary.
Photo credits: US Army. Illustration: EXO Charge / Xentris Wireless.
Significant benefits can also be obtained through the use of common commercial components and standard software and hardware architectures. On this front, Xentris Wireless formed the EXO Charge division specifically to leverage commercial technologies and components to create ruggedized advanced power solutions for military applications. The EXO Charge team is comprised of industry and military veterans with expertise in the commercial market as well as dismounted power programs - including Conformal Wearable Battery (CWB), Soldier Worn Integrated Power Equipment Systems (SWIPES) and Squad Power Manager (SPM).
Illustration: EXO Charge / Xentris Wireless.
The US Army is preparing for a future battlefield where electricity will matter even more than it does today, and major program are underway that will lead to:
- new hybrid (and fully electric) vehicles
- mobile power stations and micro-grids to charge batteries in the field
- new smaller and more fuel-efficient generators
- distributed micro-grids for less vulnerable infrastructure
All of which is ultimately designed to meet operational energy needs of deployed close combat forces in their quest for power - for as long as their mission requires, and no matter where on earth they are.
At EXO CHARGE, our mission is to reduce the Warfighter’s battery burden and increase their operational effectiveness by developing leading-edge, rugged, interoperable, tactical power solutions. Our unique combination of 'boots on the ground' military service, industry and technology expertise, and military power program experience puts us in a strong position to achieve our mission.
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By Lawrence Holsworth, EXO Charge Director of Marketing - a former infantry squad leader and platoon radio operator in the US Army 82nd Airborne Division.