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Army Sends World's First Hybrid-Electric Howitzer to War
The Army’s latest weapon is an unlikely milestone—the world’s first hybrid electric howitzer.
There are lots of eco-friendly reasons to switch to a hybrid. And then there’s the Army, which has announced that its entire family of Manned Ground Vehicles (MGV) will use a new hybrid electric drivetrain, starting with the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon, a 155mm self-propelled howitzer. Of all the potential advantages listed for the system, including better low-speed maneuverability than those with traditional drivetrains, none has to do with limiting emissions or reducing carbon footprints.
Much like the diesel/electric off-road “Aggressor†proto-type announced by the Army this past May, the new hybrid howitzer bears little resemblance to a Prius. The vehicle will generate more electrical output than a commercial hybrid to provide power for sensors, on-board computers and other integrated systems. All eight MGV variants, which range from artillery pieces to recon vehicles, will double as portable generators. And while the Aggressor will potentially be able to switch to a battery-only “stealth†mode, the MGVs will simply have a lower acoustic signature. The new propulsion system passed its first complete test, conducted at a BAE Systems facility in Santa Clara, Calif., and the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon is scheduled to enter production late next year.
The Army’s latest weapon is an unlikely milestone—the world’s first hybrid electric howitzer.
There are lots of eco-friendly reasons to switch to a hybrid. And then there’s the Army, which has announced that its entire family of Manned Ground Vehicles (MGV) will use a new hybrid electric drivetrain, starting with the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon, a 155mm self-propelled howitzer. Of all the potential advantages listed for the system, including better low-speed maneuverability than those with traditional drivetrains, none has to do with limiting emissions or reducing carbon footprints.
Much like the diesel/electric off-road “Aggressor†proto-type announced by the Army this past May, the new hybrid howitzer bears little resemblance to a Prius. The vehicle will generate more electrical output than a commercial hybrid to provide power for sensors, on-board computers and other integrated systems. All eight MGV variants, which range from artillery pieces to recon vehicles, will double as portable generators. And while the Aggressor will potentially be able to switch to a battery-only “stealth†mode, the MGVs will simply have a lower acoustic signature. The new propulsion system passed its first complete test, conducted at a BAE Systems facility in Santa Clara, Calif., and the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon is scheduled to enter production late next year.
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