Saft Wins €4.2 Million Order from UK Ministry of Defence to Supply BA 5590 Military Primary Lithium Battery Packs
01 October 2009
Saft, world specialist in the design and manufacture of high-tech batteries for industry, has won an order worth in excess of €4.2 million (£3.7 million) from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) for BA 5590 primary lithium military battery packs, to be delivered between October and December 2009.
The BA 5590 battery packs are designed to power various military radio communication devices and other vital systems, such as battle field surveillance and night sights. They comprise 10 Saft LO 26 SX cells, housed in a robust plastic case, and connected in two groups of five cells in series, providing two nominal 12 V sections at the connector with a capacity of 15 Ah. These sections can be connected in series, for 24 V, in parallel for 12 V, or used as two separate 12 V units.
“Availability of reliable high-performance batteries is now a key tactical consideration for today’s high-tech military forces” said Thomas Alcide, General Manager of Saft’s Specialty Battery Group.
“This latest contract for the MoD is a perfect illustration of Saft’s proven fast response capability to deliver specialized military batteries within a very short time frame” Key protection features on the BA 5590 battery packs include: a non-replaceable fuse in the negative leg of each group of cells; a high temperature switch or thermal fuse to protect against overheating; a diode in the positive leg of each cell group to prevent charging or flow of current into the battery.
The LO 26 SX is a D-size cell from Saft’s family of lithium sulphur dioxide (Li-SO2) batteries capable of operating over a wide range of temperatures from -40°C to +71°C. They are widely used in military applications and feature spiral construction, non-flammable electrolyte, superior pulse capability, excellent capacity above 1 A, superior power at -40°C, and the hermetic seal is guaranteed up to +95°C.
