British soliders operating in a UK Armed Forces’ land Rover RWMIK on 13 June 2023. Babcock has extended its efforts in hybrid systems to power British Army military land vehicles in a memorandum of understanding with propulsion systems expert, Cosworth. Credit: UK Ministry of Defence.

The UK defence supplier Babcock has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cosworth, a company that specialises in propulsion technology, to explore the use of hybrid systems in military land vehicles.

Under the agreement, the companies will work together to deliver systems to convert fuel to electricity in military vehicles.

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Babcock will integrate Cosworth’s ‘Cat Gen’ (Catalytic Generator) into a 70 Series Toyota Land Cruiser which forms part of Babcock’s General Logistics Vehicle (GLV) family and conduct trials in military environments.

Cosworth’s ‘Cat Gen’ can generate 35kW of electricity from a variety of liquid and gaseous fuels to produce power. Successful trials would lead to both silent running and greater vehicle range when compared to existing hybrid propulsion methods.

‘Cat Gen’ has only one moving part, making maintenance minimal. It is also able to use fuels ranging from diesel through to zero-emissions hydrogen ensuring that it is a capability for both now and in the future.

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Hybrid solutions of British Army land vehicles

Babcock Land Defence spokesperson Chris Spicer stated: “We’ve already had great success working with the British Army to convert Land Rovers into Electric Vehicle prototypes.

“This new partnership with Cosworth will support Babcock’s development of the next generation of military hybrid vehicles. This is exciting news for the British Army who are already showing tremendous leadership in this field.”

“The electrification of the battlefield is the underpinning enabler”, the British Army asserted. “Large military platforms are unlikely to have full electric drive before the 2040s and will benefit much more from hybrid drive solutions.”

Cosworth spokesperson Hal Reisiger said, “Cosworth has successfully expanded into the defence sector over the last eight years. This exciting programme showcases our alternative propulsion solution the ‘Cat Gen’ and reinforces the brand’s commitment to supply a broad range of propulsion solutions…

“Babcock are an important development partner for Cosworth, and we look forward to continuing our development partnership.”