Subscribe"Digitisation" is the buzzword for the today's armed forces.
The development and introduction of new technology in areas such as communications, target acquisition and identification, will change the way that warfare and military operations, particularly those in urban environments are conducted.
One particular area in which new technology will have a major impact is the combat performance and operational experience of the individual soldier.
Technology has now developed to such a stage that serious consideration can be given to providing each individual soldier with the sort of capabilities that were once only associated with aircraft or tanks.
Miniaturisation of electronics, plus advances in materials, weapons systems and software open up new opportunities, allowing the individual soldier to play a far more significant role within the digitised battlefield.A recent report for defence publisher SMI ‘The Next Generation Soldier, Products, Projects, Markets and the Soldier’s Perspective’ (March 2001) asserts that:
"the infantry soldier is undergoing a dramatic transition, to compare with the first introduction of the gun. … Now, with the bewildering speed of modern technology, equipment only wished for by soldiers down the ages, can become a reality. There will be two classes of soldier, those with new soldier systems and those without.”
However, with these new electronic soldier systems will come a greater need for reliable and mobile power sources.Many of the new systems being developed are likely to be ‘power hungry’ and be expected to operate throughout the 24-hour period. Today's heavy and bulky Nickel Cadmium battery packs currently used by the majority of the World’s land forces will be totally unsuitable for powering the soldier of the future.
The sheer size and weight of the battery packs needed to power the new generation of digital equipment could, if unchecked, have a marked impact on the performance of the individual soldier.This could possibly even negate the benefits of this new equipment, hindering operational effectiveness.
This need for reliable, lightweight power sources is already being recognised by armed forces and defence procurement organisations around the World.Operational analysis and studies carried out since 1994 as part of the MoD’s Future Integrated Soldier Technology programme (FIST) have indicated that:
"…there is a strong case for investment in programmes to support dismounted close combat and an area of priority for enhancement is power supply - specifically battery weight, life, re-supply and re-charging”. Defence Procurement Agency."
However, this recognition of the need for lightweight power sources is not enough. Only by considering issues of power supply right at the stage of the design process will the defence industry ensure that the modern solider is equipped with adequate power supplies to take full advantage of new technology, which will soon be available.
Power Supply – The Challenges Of Urban Warfare
Nowhere are the potential advantages of new technology as great as in any conflict involving urban warfare.And nowhere is the need for a lightweight, reliable power supply so vital. In an urban environment the greatest hostile threat to ground troops is often sniper fire.This necessitates the use of heavy body armour, which places an even greater emphasis on the need for lightweight equipment, including power supply.
Put simply, the World is an increasingly urbanised place.Ground troops are therefore more likely to find themselves on operational duty in an urban environment.This trend has been given particular impetus by the increasing deployment of armed forces on peacekeeping duties in cities and urban areas across the globe from Northern Ireland to the Balkans and Kabul.
Communication is perhaps the biggest single challenge facing soldiers operating in an urban environment. The typical urban topography of tall densely packed buildings serves to screen VHF signals, disrupting voice and data communication. The presence of a high number of power lines can similarly affect communications, as can the need to operate inside buildings or even in subterranean sewers or basements.
Civil wireless communications systems, such as those used by police and emergency services, overcome this problem through the use of low power radios interfacing with a network of high power radio masts.The luxury of such an established infrastructure is clearly not available to armed forces, particularly those operating in a hostile environment.For the soldier, the solution rests upon turning up the power on his radio equipment to overcome screening and ensure effective communications. The implications for power supply are clear.
Moreover, in many urban operations, particularly peacekeeping duties, the VHF frequencies available for use are likely to be less than optimum.Often the military will not have access to the most suitable frequencies as these will already be is use for local civil communications networks.Yet again to counter this, greater power will be required to boost signals and ensure effective communications can be maintained.
Another major consideration in urban operations is the predominant use of dismounted troops due to the increased vulnerability of vehicles in built-up areas.The dismounted soldier will naturally need to seek cover in hostile situations. Yet that same cover will also increase screening of transmissions, again necessitating greater use of power.
In addition, this lack of vehicle support will mean that dismounted soldiers will need to be self-sufficient in energy, carrying all their power supplies with them, until such time as they can be re-supplied.The use of thermal imaging devices and other surveillance tools throughout the 24-hour period will place further burdens on limited power supplies.
It is therefore clear that the particular challenges of urban operations dictate that ground troops require even greater supplies of power, whilst at the same time needing to remain highly mobile - two requirements which are not necessarily compatible.
Meeting The Challenges
The first UK programme where battery size and weight have had a real impact is the BOWMAN programme, for which AEA Battery Systems provides the battery packs, chargers and advice on power supply.This will provide a custom-built secure communications system for British armed forces.
The US interestingly, is using a different approach for the army's Land Warrior programme. Here the technological solutions are to be found through the use of Cots (commercial off-the-shelf) components wherever possible as opposed to a bespoke system.
Both programmes look likely to provide solutions to the particular problems of operating, and specifically communicating in all environments including urban, without the use of bulky, heavy power supplies.
The BOWMAN system will use re-chargeable Lithium-ion cells, a technology pioneered by AEA Technology. The Lithium-ion technology offers several key benefits to the military user in comparison to the commonly used Nickel Cadmium rechargeable and Lithium non-rechargeable batteries.These include significant advantages for forces engaged in urban operations.
- * Lithium-ion batteries deliver equivalent power but are one third of the weight and one third the size of the battery packs currently used in the Clansman radio system, which BOWMAN will replace. This will allow troops to balance the need for more power in urban environments with the equally important need to travel light and move quickly.
- The reduced size and weight of Lithium-ion battery packs also reduces the logistical burden and potentially allows troops to carry more batteries, increasing the time between re-supply
- Lithium-ion batteries have a flat voltage discharge profile ensuring that the maximum useful capacity of the battery is used and that prolonged equipment operating times can be achieved, this advantage is maximised by the latest generation power cell technology in the new Kaizen cell
- With long life cycle - over 1200 charge and discharge cycles – Lithium-ion batteries will have a long service life and subsequently a reduced through life cost.
- The new Kaizen has a very wide operating temperature range: - 51°c to +75°c enabling a single battery type to be used whatever the environment. Currently below 0°c other rechargeable battery types exhibit severely limited performance, if any. Also great cost and logistics savings can be made by substituting non-rechargeable (primary) batteries that currently are the only types capable of working satisfactorily at sub-zero temperatures
- Lithium-ion batteries do not contain any Cadmium nor any other toxic materials and can be recycled at the end of their life, which makes them more environmentally friendly than other battery types.
Putting power supply back in the picture
Many in the defence industry are only now becoming fully aware of the true advantages of Lithium-ion battery technology and the potential opportunities offered by the development of new cell chemistries. With power supply such an integral part of any electronic system requirement, it is surprising to find that it is often one of the later considerations in the design and procurement process.
Urban warfare in particular requires the manoeuvrability that comes with lightweight compact equipment yet places a greater strain on the power supplies of troops on the ground. The move towards digitisation, and the fulfillment of programmes such as FIST will only increase the burden placed on battery packs with the introduction of new, ‘power hungry’ technologies.
This conflict can be resolved if hardware and software designers work in conjunction with power supply experts to ensure that requirements are understood from the outset and power demand is an integral part of the design.
Unless cooperation is encouraged, designers time and hard work could be wasted in developing hardware that is either impractical in its demands on mobile power supplies or, as may well be the case, does not take full advantage of the high-performance of new cell and battery technology.
The advantages of Lithium-ion power cells are clear, and demonstrated by the selection of this technology for BOWMAN.Lithium-ion batteries look set to provide the answer to many of the power supply issues faced by modern armed forces.
However, the process of battlefield digitisation and the transformation of the individual soldier with the aid of technology will continue.Cell and battery manufacturers must therefore work to develop and evaluate new cell chemistries and cell forms to ensure that power supply technology develops apace with the systems which look set to change the face of urban warfare.
Power Supply Verses Maneuvrability – The Conflict In Modern Urban Warfare, By Dr. Bill Macklin of AEA Battery Systems