Caterpillar Defence Products - Advanced Technology Diesel Engines

Perkins Engines Co Ltd, part of Caterpillar Inc., is a supplier of diesel engines and automatic transmissions for armoured and logistic vehicles, both tracked and wheeled. It is also an integrator of bespoke powerpacks, using transmissions and cooling groups of the customer’s choice, and a provider of integrated logistic support packages to military programmes worldwide.

DUAL USE TECHNOLOGY AND THE MILITARY CUSTOMER

With defence budgets shrinking, military customers are looking for ways to take advantage of commercial technologies to improve performance while reducing research and development cost. Yet there is still concern that commercial equipment may be unable to stand the rigours of combat and that reliance upon it could be risky.

Military customers that have selected Caterpillar and Perkins engines to power their armoured vehicles are able to take advantage of the latest commercial technology without having to sacrifice combat readiness. Caterpillar and Perkins engines were developed with a common core for both commercial and military use, and they are sold into the commercial marketplace at a rate of many thousands each year. Customers benefit not only from technology but also from economy of scale.

The British Army uses Perkins engines in its Challenger 2 main battle tanks and Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, while Caterpillar engines power the LAV III family of vehicles recently chosen by the US Army for its Brigade Combat Team requirement. Perkins and Caterpillar engines are in service in both combat and logistic vehicles with over fifty armies around the world.

The benefits to the military customer of dual use equipment are considerable. Economies of scale, through-life support, spares and proven quality are the most obvious, but the customer also gains access to the latest product improvements. With tightly controlled defence budgets and demands for new equipment to meet new threats, access to commercially available off the shelf technology has become a pre-requisite of any military engine procurement programme. Thanks to technology developed for the commercial market, Caterpillar and Perkins engines are being offered into military programmes with new features such as electronic unit injection and variable geometry turbocharging, but still at a low acquisition and through-life cost.

THE CURRENT PORTFOLIO

With a full portfolio of Caterpillar and Perkins engines, ranging in output from 4bhp (3kW) to 1500bhp (1120kW), Caterpillar Defence Products is able to a wide range of power solutions. The Perkins 100 and 400 Series are ideal for auxiliary power generation, while the Caterpillar C Series, developed for the demanding US truck market, is well-suited both for heavy logistic vehicles and light armoured fighting vehicles. The Perkins CV8 engine, alone or in a powerpack with the Perkins X300 automatic transmission, and the CV12 engine are both combat proven in infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks.

WORLDWIDE SUPPORT

Caterpillar’s reputation as a provider of the worldwide logistic support of its products is unsurpassed, and the military customers that choose either engine brand are assured of an extremely high level of service, wherever they are based or wherever their military commitments take them. To the low acquisition and through-life costs of both Perkins and Caterpillar engines can be added the benefits of savings in logistic support commitment and increases in operational readiness.