Posted by John McHale

 

COCKEYSVILLE, Md. 3 Sept. 2010. AAI Corp. selected Saft lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries from to supply back-up power for its Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS), which controls unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The 28 volt batteries are capable of integrated charging, which strengthens and simplifies the powering system.

 

The high-energy, low-weight batteries have a capacity of 100 amp/hours and are made up of 16 VL 52E cells in a 2P8S configuration. The batteries will provide emergency back-up power for a flight-critical function of the UGCS. In the event of a power failure, the battery will activate, allowing the UGCS to carry out its UAV control mission.

 

"The development of an Integrated Charger Battery (ICB), along with this order, adds to Saft's experience in complete systems for energy storage applications," says Thomas Alcide, general manager of Saft's Specialty Battery Group.

 

The batteries accept universal AC input and provide 28V DC output. While simplifying and reducing the size of the system, the ICB function eliminates the need for an additional power source to charge the battery. ICB capability is a technology that Saft will apply to other systems in the future.

 

AAI Corp.'s UGCS architecture meets U.S. Army and joint services interoperability requirements, as well as UAV joint information exchange capabilities for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, (C4ISR). The system is designed for U.S. joint services interoperability requirements, including simultaneous mission control of multiple unmanned aircraft.