Battery family powering the military

Since launching the world’s longest lasting lithium 9V battery in 1991, Ultralife has developed a diverse portfolio of batteries to meet the needs of today’s modern military equipment.

The XX90 range includes the UBI-2590 rechargeable batteries like the UBBL10-01 and UBBL02-01, as well as the UB0023, UB0031 and UB0032 non-rechargeable batteries, chargers, adapters and universal cables.

Ultralife’s non-rechargeable range offers at least 50% more capacity than the lithium sulfur dioxide batteries that are still widely used by the military today. Whilst a BB-5590 lithium sulfur dioxide battery operates at 15Ah, Ultralife’s UB0023 offers users 22Ah, while the UB0032 has 32Ah capacity making it suitable to power radio communications devices and missile targeting systems.

Batteries are the primary means of powering applications in the military. From military radios to bomb disposal robots and drones, defence operations require these critical components to be fully charged and ready to use. Failure to have reliable and functioning equipment can not only jeopardise the success of an operation, but also increase the risk to a soldier’s safety.

“There can be no room for compromise on power during an operation,” explained Michele Windsor, global marketing manager at Ultralife Corporation. “While reliable equipment should be a provided, during some operations there is little time for soldiers to be concerned with power when they’re focussed on moving quickly and staying invisible to avoid enemy detection and fire.

“It’s therefore essential that soldiers are informed by being able to clearly see the absolute state of charge of their battery. Ultralife’s UBBL02-01 battery, from our UBI-2590 variant, offers exactly that, so soldiers can be prepared ahead of deployment. Building on this, soldiers can also integrate the UBBL10-01 into their portable electronics and communication devices.

“The UBBL10-01 also includes Ultralife’s SmartCircuit technology, which allows compatible devices and accessories to communicate with the battery. This is done through its SMBus v1.1 compliant interface and makes it suitable for use in applications that require remote monitoring of critical battery information from a host device.”

The need for durable and easy-to-use batteries in the field continues to increase as more defence operation equipment become increasingly reliant on technology. Ultralife’s portfolio was originally designed to power military communication gear but has since evolved into other sectors like medical, energy and industrial.

The popularity among non-military customers using products from the XX90 range has led Ultralife to release commercially labelled versions of the UBI-2590 batteries. With the additional –CB suffix, the batteries can be exported internationally and meet the regulatory compliance for importation in the North American, European and Asian markets.