The Army’s proliferating drone use is exacerbating the modern problem of keeping everything charged. One combat team is testing ways to use its light Infantry Squad Vehicles as mobile charging stations.
“As we field technology, power generation becomes increasingly problematic. The [Integrated Tactical Network], all the soldier-borne equipment, all require batteries that have to be recharged. [Enhanced Night Vision Goggles] require batteries, particularly to use thermals,” said Col. Ryan Bell, commander of the 3rd Mobile Brigade Combat Team in the 101st Airborne Division, of lessons from an April training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Finding ways to boost battery power on the battlefield—and learning how long new tech lasts in different conditions—is a persistent problem for the military.
“As we add drones…the [Short Range Reconnaissance], the [Medium-Range Reconnaissance], they all have to be charged,” Bell told reporters Thursday.
So the unit equipped its ISVs with inverters, similar to the kind of thing any car owner might plug into the outlet formerly known as a cigarette lighter to get standard 120V power.
“Every squad functionally had their own generator without having to tow a trailer, or a generator, behind it,” Bell said.
But more power is needed, he said, like hybrid generators that could deliver up to 10 kilowatts, depending on a unit’s needs.
Bell suggested sizing the generators so they can be mounted on the five-seater ISV-Utility variant the Army plans to field. They could also be towed, but that’s not a great solution for rough terrain.
The Senate’s version of the 2027 defense policy bill would greenlight multiyear procurement of the ISVs if adopted in the final version.
“As future ISVs are fielded, we need to ensure they are utilized as power generation platforms, particularly for our squads. Our use of the vehicle as a sustainment platform by adding commercial off-the-shelf racks on the back was very helpful,” Bell said.
“We are also excited to get the ISV-U, which will give us more utility lift capacity. Having a single, common platform across the formation will simplify our logistics chain. The utility variant will be extremely helpful for mission command and power generation for our command posts.”
Bell also said troops also need batteries that carry more charge and last longer, which would “reduce the number of batteries you have to charge and have to carry, because solder load is a real thing.”
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