Lockheed Martin has awarded General Atomics‘ electromagnetic systems subsidiary a contract to supply Lithium-ion Fault Tolerant battery systems for the U.S. Special Operations Command’s new Dry Combat Submersible delivery vehicles.
The LiFT battery system features a high energy density and will work to power DCS propulsion and internal support systems as the vehicle ferries divers in dry environments, General Atomics said Thursday.
GA-EMS President Scott Forney said the battery system will help power the DCS at the required distance and depths to transport personnel during missions.
Paul Clark, LiFT program senior manager at GA-EMS, noted the U.S. Navy and Socom have authorized the company’s Lithium-ion battery technology for use on the latter’s manned submersibles.
“We’re now applying this same technology and modular design to create safety-certifiable LiFT battery systems for other defense platforms, including ground vehicles and aircraft,” he added.
General Atomics said LiFT has a single-cell fault tolerance that works to prevent cascading cell failure to support the safety of onboard crew members and facilitate continued operations.