Future soldier
understood elements of the supply chain, while also being the most rapidly changing as technology evolves and capabilities increase.
Key to addressing this challenge will, Browning believes, be standardisation. “There’s always a logistics challenge to any military operation, and that’s not going to go away. But we can reduce and make that simpler by having fewer types of batteries in circulation,” he says, adding that it’s an area the UK, US, Nato and others are currently looking into. However, Browning continues, the problem can’t be resolved with a single ‘magic’ technology. “Essentially, you need to move energy forward, but you need to do that in the most efficient way possible while trying to reduce your electrical load – [and] that’s going up because we’re adding more capability,” he notes.
One for all
Darren Browning, senior technical lead for power at Dstl.
90 - 140lbs
The weight of equipment carried by dismounted combat troops in recent conflicts.
Centre for a New American Security
32
power sources at the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Although it’s hard to put a figure on it – as it’s dependent on the dismounted role and unique requirements of missions – broadly speaking, section commanders are believed to be consuming an average of 8W over an eight-hour mission, and riflemen about half that; assuming each is using standard equipment. It is, however, the rifleman role where Browning says the increase in power demand will be greatest. “A commander has always had a fairly capable radio with a fairly high power draw […] So, broadly, there shouldn’t be a huge increase,” he says. “But the rifleman essentially had very little capability back in the day, and now they are going to have more capable equipment and more impressive data radios. That’s probably where you see demand will increase most.” It’s fast becoming the main subject of interest among some of the world’s most capable fighting forces, as, according to Browning, they ask: “As our reliance on power hungry technology increases, how can we decrease the power sources needed to supply them?” It’s a conundrum ever-more entwined with a shift in combat dynamics, as the world moves from counterterrorism and counter-insurgency to something more akin to a bygone age of war – as events in Europe and, more recently the Middle East, have shown.
During the siege of Mariupol between 24 February to the 20 May 2022, Ukrainian forces were beyond the scope of supply chains for an extended period of time. Held down by the Russians, they had to ration supplies, including power – demonstrating a very modern problem, which is as we depend on technology more, the ability to operate effectively is greatly hindered when it’s no longer available. Browning says the logistics of power supply is one of the least
For well over a decade, the US military has been hard at work tackling this issue. Their achievements so far have led to ambitious hopes for greater interoperability – doing away with the need to carry a host of device-specific batteries. After the push to modernise announced under the stewardship of then-US Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley in 2017, the Army embarked on the research and successful development of the Small Tactical Universal Battery (STUB).
Among the challenges the US Army’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center’s Tactical Power Team identified include the varying voltages devices operate at, ranging from 3.3V to 21V; form factor, determined by the energy a device requires which in turn dictates the size and weight of the battery; the differing mechanical and electrical connections; and the enhanced environmental resilience and operational burden needed. The STUB, a lithium-ion family of batteries comprising eight different sizes, was designed for devices from radios and GPS systems to sensors and ranging and targeting, among others. Thanks to a standardised mechanical and electrical interface – and an ability for soldiers to select the power supply – the ‘one device, one battery’ issue was finally addressed.
The programme was followed by a project seeking to develop AA form-factor military-grade batteries capable of recharging, bridging the growing void between legacy systems’ requirements and the higher instantaneous power draw of next-generation devices using the AA form. These Operational Single Cell for Accessory Readiness batteries will be capable of recharging more than 100 cycles, with prototypes ready for field testing in coming months. “I guess where we are is still in this transition from lots of decentralised power sources to a centralised battery; and also transitioning from single-use
Defence & Security Systems International /
www.defence-and-security.com
Dstl / UK MoD
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