Stelios Kanavakis

Senior Defence Analyst

Intracom Defense Electronics (IDE) from Greece showcased its hybrid GENAIRCON system, which offers true silent watch capability to the battlefield, increasing survivability through platforms’ efficient signature management.

 
GENAIRCON's external APU, control unit and two Energy Storage Module cells. (Picture source Army Recognition)

GENAIRCON was delivered to the Hellenic Army M109 Self-Propelled Howitzers in May 2018, after achieving successful results during acceptance tests and in live fire demonstrations. Army Recognition has found out that the system will soon be trialed and evaluated on the platform of a large Western European Army.

Signature management is an area of critical importance for the survivability of combat forces in the modern battlefield. Intracom Defense Electronics’ GENAIRCON is the company’s answer to this critical issue. 

Most legacy systems include an Auxiliary Power Unit, for use when the vehicle’s engine is turned off, and a separate Environmental Control Unit (ECU). Therefore, they were large in volume and auxiliary power was provided only with the APU running, thus emitting a thermal signature, having increased fuel consumption and requiring frequent maintenance.

IDE’s solution was designed to overcome these problems and provide efficient and uninterruptable auxiliary electric power, with advanced environmental control (heating, cooling and ventilation).

GENAIRCON combines a hybrid APU and ECU, with advanced energy storage, and a user-friendly control unit interface. Therefore, the platform using the system can perform true Silent Watch tasks, with full operational capability of its electronics, sensors and firing system.

During its operation, the external APU charges the energy storage modules, by utilizing GENAIRCON’s functionalities of cell-by-cell monitoring, active cell balancing, advanced algorithms for State-of-Charge and State-of-Health, achieving excellent maintenance free performance in a variety of operational environments. Therefore, cells are used at their optimum levels, thereby extending their operational life. 

Moreover, the APU is only utilized to charge the battery modules and/or support high loads (‘Power Boost’ mode), operating at its optimum level, minimizing maintenance costs and fuel consumption. Therefore, it is not forced to operate for the majority of the time at 30% or less of its maximum power rating, something that would shorten dramatically its life-cycle, increase break down incidents and fuel consumption.

Furthermore, the system not only offers the ability to keep a platform’s electronic systems running continuously but it also allows very deep discharge of Energy Storage Module cells in case of emergency, without destroying them. In addition, a pulse power storage module, based on supercapacitor technology, can provide up to 1900A of surge current to energize even the most demanding applications (electric motors, weapon firing, APS).

GENAIRCON APU has a weight of less than 200 kg. Upon the completion of rigorous testing, IDE has informed us that the system is offered to the customers with a guarantee period of eight years.