Packaging Tactical Power: When Time to Deploy Means Life or Death

Modern warfare has become increasingly integrated with technology, including drones, communication equipment, sensor cameras, and battlefield EVs. All of this technology is increasingly power-hungry, yet the base energy source for the majority of battlefield energy, JP-8 or diesel, has not changed in its energy density makeup. This means that to avoid overburdening units in the field and supply lines, gains in efficiency must come from elsewhere.

The format of packaging tactical power is one of the pathways to greater efficiency in maximizing both energy and space. Better tactical power packaging can improve time-to-deployment, require fewer resources to reach more locations, reduce energy waste, and ensure our modern warfighters can always access the technology they need when they need it.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at best practices in packaging tactical power and what optimized mobile power solutions look like.

What Does Tactical Power Packaging Mean?

Tactical power packaging is how energy sources are fitted as mobile power solutions. This ranges from the most basic, like a simple generator thrown on the back of a Jeep, to the modern and complex, where discrete cabling, easy-to-use HMIs, and varying charge point options are integrated into a single, standard container containing a large generator and likely integrated battery storage and solar panels as well.

Tactical power packaging describes how mobile power systems (including generators, batteries, inverters, and converters) are designed and assembled to meet the needs of their mission. This includes being environmentally hardened, compact, rapidly deployable, relatively lightweight, and capable of being deployed and generating power as standalone units. Tactical power packaging must also consider cross-functionality with allied systems, scalability, and integration with other units, as well as redundancy, diagnostics, and backup power capacity.

Reasons for Needing Better Tactical Packaging 

A core concept for assessing improvement in technology or strategy for tactical units is how a change impacts a unit’s ‘lethality, mobility, and survivability’. Current conflicts demonstrate the absolute necessity of integrating energy-hungry technologies into the modern battlefield, including:

• Drones and Precision-Guided Munitions

• Electronic Warfare Systems (jammers, drone capture guns, spectrum surveillance)

• Active Protection Systems

• Advanced Communications and Sensor Suites (SATCOM, battlefield 5G, LiDAR, ISR)

• Medical Support Technologies (portable diagnostic imaging, life-support systems)

Because these technologies have become so intrinsic to modern warfare, having mobile power systems that can enable them is a natural progression. Improving the portability, speed of deployment, ruggedness, ease-of-use, and efficiency of power systems through better tactical packaging delivers significant tactical advantages for the lethality, mobility, and survivability of our warfighters. 

Not only does better packaging of tactical power provide greater energy efficiency, but improved ruggedization also means that this obvious weak point in our defense considerations is better able to withstand the various environmental and battlefield challenges. This includes being weatherproof in extreme conditions ranging from mud, rain, ice, or snow to extreme heat, sandstorms, and lack of water. Being shock-resistant to the vibrations and physical shocks of a battlefield scenario is also an important consideration, as those are the moments when reliance on mobile power can be the difference between life and death.

Building Better Tactical Packaging

Constant improvements in packaging tactical power deliver better results in terms of resilience, effectiveness, portability, and the capacity to maintain functionality across the full spectrum of environmental conditions.

From a design and manufacturing perspective, this is achieved through several axes, such as size uniformity and environmental hardening.

Size Uniformity

Depending on needs and capacity, tactical power can range from small man-portable chargers to containerized microgrids set in 20ft ISO containers. The military is continuously gaining a better understanding of future battlefield energy requirements, and working around the concept of large containers outputting significant power is enabling better design choices and developmental work on exactly what is likely to be needed.

Integrated Connectivity

Production of power is only one part of delivering tactical power. Connectivity refers to the ports, connectors, and interfaces that allow troops to connect critical loads. Improving connectivity options and uniformity reduces the need for excess cabling or converters, enhances ease-of-use for all potential users, and minimizes risk of power generation being rendered unusable due to unavailable connections. 

Setup Speed

Containerized generation, effectively packaged and geared towards rapid deployment, can be unloaded and begin generating power within minutes. Generator ignition, inverters, and batteries can be started with the flick of a switch. Simplified instructions and intelligent diagnostic systems, along with HMIs, can reduce the training required and enable ‘simple set-up’.

Environmental Hardening

Packaging tactical power means setting it up for use in extreme conditions. Depending on the location of deployment, this could mean extreme heat where fans, heat exchangers, sun shields, or reflective coatings are used. For moisture and humidity control, it would include gasketing and sealing, breather valves, pressure equalization vents, and the inclusion of humidity sensors. For shock and vibration resistance, mounting brackets, shock mounts, and anti-vibration pads can be used, along with conformal coating or potting of important equipment, such as printed circuit boards.

Conclusion

Access to power on the battlefield has increased significantly in recent times, and modern, power-hungry technologies rely on substantial power supplies to deliver their considerable advantages. Improving the efficiency of the power available to troops has become critical, and the packaging of tactical power is one way to achieve this. Better packaging of tactical power can improve the portability of units, allowing them to be transferred with ease over air, land, and sea. Improved packaging also significantly enhances setup speed and reduces the knowledge barrier required to start powering essential technologies. Ruggedization of mobile power units also ensures greater longevity and improves reliability.

At Enercon, we are experts in tactical power packaging, leveraging our experience in engineering, fabricating, and testing rugged power solutions for Tier 1 defense contractors and allied military forces. Our Tactical Electrical Power (TEP) and Mobile Power Generation (MPG) systems are purpose-built to support mission-critical operations worldwide — wherever reliability, resilience, and rapid deployment are most critical.

To learn more about how Enercon’s innovative and reliable designs can support your next mission, please contact us here.