The Office of Naval Research's Technical Solutions Program announced the completion of a new technology that has already made an impact on the way Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians operate in the field, July 22.
Designed to cut the 50 pounds of battery charging devices currently hauled by the Navy's EOD teams, the kit is a lightweight, portable system containing common military rechargeable batteries, a solar-powered blanket, a 1-pound Soldier Power Manager (SPM) unit and "smart" cables to link the SPM with EOD equipment. After receiving the request from EOD Group (EODGRU) 2, ONR partnered with Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, Ind., and Protonex Technology Corp. to develop the Power Management Kit (PMK). Five units were shipped to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training and Evaluation Unit (EODTEU) 2 for testing.
“Just a few years ago we would be operating in the field, and not being able to charge our equipment we had to bring multiple batteries in case we needed to switch them out,” said Chris Romero, chief EOD technician, with EOD Mobile Unit 2. “Not with this system though, PMK allows us to pack lighter and stay in the fight longer.”
While operating in the field for extended periods of time with the PMK system, EOD technicians reduce their load from 50 pounds of battery charging equipment to nine pounds.
“The need was brought to us by two platoons going through training; one was from EODMU 2 and the other from EODMU 6,” said Chuck Herndon, Requirements and Combat Development for EODGRU 2. “If you were to look at the existing charging equipment that they had, you would see that it covers a huge table. We wanted to find a way that they could take all of that and shrink it down so they could move forward into a hostile environment with little weight issues.”
According to Herndon, EOD technicians can carry up to 137 pounds of personal protective equipment, ordnance and weapons every time they go outside the wire. Asking technicians to add an additional 50 pounds just for battery chargers was enough motivation for EOD to reach out to ONR for a solution.
“Navy EOD needs to have the ability to operate dismounted and off the forward operating base for weeks at a time,” said Romero.
“We often occupy abandoned buildings when we are in the field and they might not have power or the charging capabilities that we need – PMK will allow us to continue our mission regardless of where we are at.”
Additionally, the solar-powered blanket in the PMK system provides a power source to charge anything from a vehicle battery to a digital camera while operating in remote locations.
“As EOD technicians we are always looking for new toys that will make our lives easier,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class John Piowaty, EOD technician, with EODMU 2. “The PMK definitely fills that role. It gives us a capability in the field that we never had before.”
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2011 10:08 |
| Story ID: | 76943 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 336 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, EOD brings more power to the battlefield with new technology, by PO2 Paul D. Williams, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
