Army chooses lithium-ion rechargeable batteries from Mathews Associates and Bren-Tronics
COLUMBUS, Ohio, 20 Nov. 2015. U.S. Army leaders needed rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for a variety of uses in the field, such as powering voice and data radios. They found their solution from two companies: Mathews Associates Inc. in Sanford, Fla.; and Bren-Tronics Inc. in Commack, N.Y.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime segment in Columbus, Ohio, announced a $23.2 million contract Thursday to Mathews and Bren-Tronics for lithium-ion storage batteries. The two companies will share the contract.
A lithium-ion battery is a rechargeable power-storage device that moves lithium ions from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge and back when charging. They are among the most popular types of rechargeable batteries for portable electronics, with a high energy density, small memory effect, and a slow loss of charge when not in use.
Lithium-ion batteries can be tricky to use for military applications because they contain a flammable electrolyte under pressure. Still, their advantages in power density make them popular for systems like the PRC-104, PRC-119, SINCGARS, PRC-138, KY-57 and other military radios.
Related: Military seeks to balance energy, weight, and safety in battery technologies
Among the lithium-ion batteries that Mathews offers are the BB-2590/U and BB-2812/U. The 20-volt BB-2590/U, made for a variety of military radios, has dual state of charge gauge, has a high-impact plastic housing, and hermetically sealed lithium-ion cells.
Bren-Tronics makes a variety of lithium-ion batteries for military applications, including the BT-70483, BT-70492A, and BT-70492BK. The BT-70483 is for handheld radios and thermal imagers. The BT-70492A is for portable thermal cameras, and the BT-70492BK is for portable thermal imagers.
On this shared contract Mathews Associates and Bren-Tronics will do the work in Florida and New York, and should be finished by November 2018.
For more information contact Mathews Associates online at www.maifl.com, Bren-Tronics at www.bren-tronics.com, or the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime at www.dla.mil/LandandMaritime.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
