For many people, a dead cellphone battery simply results in a boring commute where they are not able to read exciting articles about military technology. However, for soldiers, a dead battery is a much larger issue. If a soldier loses their ability to use their radios, scopes, robots, or other electronics, they lose a critical capability. And just as King Richard III lost a battle because of a horse, future armies can lose a battle because of a dead battery.
Batteries are necessary to power the electronics that allow soldiers to shoot, move, and communicate on the modern battlefield. Last week’s Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting showcased (albeit virtually) a broad array of robots, sensors, and advanced equipment that will eventually make its way down to the soldier. However, before these devices can be used, the Army has to tackle a separate issue – how to power them.
A U.S. soldier uses a handheld radio transceiver near the village of Tannuriyah in Syria's ... [+]
The power burden on the soldier has increased dramatically over the past twenty years. At the start of the Global War on Terror, a dismounted infantryman only needed a small Ziploc bag of batteries for a long duration mission. With the current suite of equipment, the battery weight has increased substantially. Take for example, the PRC-154 Rifleman Radio. The radio has a battery life of 7 hours and each battery weighs 0.8 pounds, so a 72-hour mission would require 8.8 pounds of batteries just for that radio. When accounting for all of their equipment, it is not uncommon for a soldier to need 15 to 20 pounds of batteries over a mission.
The showcase of technology at AUSA indicates that the energy requirements for the soldier will continue to increase. This trend is necessary, as enemy forces have access to a broad range of commercial electronics, and typically electronics are required to fight electronics. Take for example, in 2017, ISIS forces used commercial quadcopters to drop grenades on Coalition forces. The Army countered the ISIS drones with a “cyber rifle” which sends a signal to the quadcopter that causes it to lose its command link. Though useful, this technology would result in soldiers having to carry even more batteries.
At the surface, the easiest solution would be to give soldiers better batteries. Indeed, power management would get significantly easier with an arc reactor (i.e. a device with infinite power in a small compact form factor). But not only does such a device not exist, but even if it did, a single malfunction could result in the device releasing all of its stored energy, acting like a massive bomb. Even modern lithium-ion batteries are quite volatile, as any Samsung Galaxy Note 7 user could attest to. Therein lies a critical challenge with power: For a power system to be safe for a soldier, it must not explode when it is shot, limiting the energy content of the power system.
A better solution could be through the integration of soldier equipment, especially electronics. Currently, different program management offices handle the acquisition of different technology areas for the Army. Although there are some integration efforts amongst these offices, each office is somewhat focused on fielding a product rapidly to address a critical soldier need. As a consequence, devices may not integrate with each other resulting in system redundancy. For example, soldiers often carry upwards to six GPS chips between their radios, range finders, and other equipment, with each GPS chip needing power. Additionally, many of the devices have different battery types. Having AA batteries for night vision would not allow a soldier to power their radio which needs a different battery.
A US soldier from Viper Company (Bravo), 1-26 Infantry takes position during a foot patrol at a ... [+]
A second solution can come from different recharging techniques. Though the Army has fielded several recharging systems, their usage has been limited, since stopping to recharge batteries disrupts the mission. Therefore, the Army Research Lab has been working on cutting-edge technology to allow soldiers to seamlessly recharge in the field. They are developing fuel cells that can run on materials that can be scavenged. Such a device would allow soldiers to recharge their batteries while on the move. Another promising technology is wireless recharging. In this situation, a drone could fly above a soldier beaming them down power to recharge their batteries. Though these technologies are still under development, they will likely play a role in future battles.
For the time being, the Army still has an energy issue. The most direct ways to handle this issue is through reducing the amount of energy required or providing soldiers with better batteries. Neither alternative is feasible. However, these energy issues can be addressed through better integration of equipment and through advanced recharging techniques. These moves will help remove the energy hurdle that will hinder the use of numerous amazing new technologies.
