A new mission for military trucks: power generation.

AuthorErwin, Sandra I.

When troops in war zones first received the heavily armored MRAP trucks three years ago, they were relieved to have a vehicle that could withstand roadside bomb blasts.

But truck crews soon found a vexing flaw in the hulking piece of machinery: It did not provide enough electricity to power a hodge-podge of devices that needed to be plugged in.

"When we got the vehicle, there was not enough power to actually start the vehicle once you connected all the radios," said Chris Miller, who oversees the installation of equipment aboard MRAP (mine-resistant ambush protected) trucks in Charleston, S.C

That discovery was a wake-up call for vehicle manufacturers and for the government's program managers. Engineers immediately went to work designing new alternators and add-on power units that would meet troops' rampant energy demands as more high-tech gear is added to already cramped truck cabs.

The new MRAP models come with double the power--a 400-amp alternator, compared to 200 amps previously. Most of the older trucks have been upgraded to the larger alternator.

The mine-resistant truck power problem illustrates a trend seen in military - vehicles over the past decade: They must be able to charge a greater array of electronic gadgets, some of which are million-dollar systems. In many of the newer MRAPs, the computers, sensors and radios cost more than the vehicle, said Miller at a recent industry conference. "I've had a number of flag and senior executives, and general officials come back to me to ask, 'What's so hard about putting a radio on a vehicle?' and then we show them the amount of radios, the amount of displays, the jamming devices, and they all are blown away."

The power shortfall, however, is not limited to the MRAR Most military trucks these days, including the ubiquitous Humvees--function as makeshift command centers, weapon launchers, ambulances, electronic jammers, and perform other roles, all of which require loads of electricity to run a smorgasbord of hardware.

As more equipment requires recharging, auxiliary diesel-fueled generators often are towed into combat zones. Marine Corps commanders in Afghanistan in recent years have asked their suppliers stateside for help. They see their dependence on towable generators as an Achilles' heel that only adds to their logistics burden and runs up fuel consumption. They would like to have trucks that can function, on their own, as self-sufficient sources of energy.

The rising demand for onboard power has set off several projects at the Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va.

John Rooney, technical director for the MRAP program, said that trying to keep up with the energy demands is a constant challenge.

"To be quite frank, we don't always know what other gadgets are being attached in theater." he said in an interview. "We're always trying to monitor what...

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