American Superconductor To Help Power Electro-Thermal Chemical Gun Project

ENERGY TECH

American Superconductor To Help Electro-Thermal Chemical Gun

Westborough - Nov 25, 2003
American Superconductor Corporation said Monday that it has been selected by United Defense Industries, Inc., as a subcontractor for the Electro-Thermal Ignition Pulsed Power System (ETIPPS) that United Defense is developing for the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC). ETIPPS is a firing system that is being designed for use with electro-thermal chemical (ETC) guns, an advanced weapon technology for future artillery, battle tank and infantry fighting vehicles.

AMSC is using its PM1000 PowerModule power electronic converters to develop a high voltage charger (HV charger) for ETIPPS. The HV charger will convert the 600 volts supplied by the military vehicle's battery system to the 7,000 volts of charging power needed to arm ETIPPS prior to firing the weapon. This PM1000 application follows one announced by AMSC in May 2003, in which the PM1000 was selected for use in a shipboard generator application for the British Royal Navy.

"American Superconductor's proven ability to design and deliver state-of- the-art high voltage solutions quickly makes them an ideal technology partner for the ETIPPS project," said Juleigh Herbig, leader of the ETIPPS Project at United Defense.

"Their PM1000 power converters have a flexible, modular design, are extremely compact and offer very high power density - all critical attributes for ETIPPS. We look forward to working closely with AMSC on this important new gun technology for the U.S. Army."

ETC guns use pulsed power, in which large amounts of stored electrical energy are released over a matter of milliseconds, to augment and control the release of chemical energy from conventional and advanced projectile propellants. ETIPPS is a gun firing system that uses pulsed power to ignite the propellant used by an ETC gun. ETC guns can fire smart munitions, insensitive munitions, and conventional rounds and are more accurate than conventional guns.

"Our selection by United Defense for this important project is a tribute to the extraordinary capability of our PM1000 PowerModule power electronic converters," said Chuck Stankiewicz, vice president and general manager of the Power Electronic Systems business unit at American Superconductor.

"This is the second defense industry order for our PM1000 converters this fiscal year. We are seeing increasing interest from defense sector companies who are learning what our electric power grid customers know - our PowerModule-based systems are robust and reliable and they are also particularly well-suited to rapid prototyping, which helps keep challenging projects such as ETIPPS on track."

SPACEWAR

Space Control Gives US Defense Forces A Leading Edge

Washington - Nov 18, 2003
The Space and Missile Systems Center Space Superiority Materiel Wing has forged a way to make space control a relevant goal in a world where asymmetric advantage tips the scale toward victory. As Col. James Haywood, Space Superiority Materiel Wing director, sees it, space is the final frontier.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.