New US Navy batteries are deemed submarine-safe
The Iver4 900 AUV on which the new battery pack was tested. (Picture: L3Harris)
The use of Passive Propagation Technology significantly reduces the risk of Lithium-ion batteries for use in torpedo tube launched AUVs.
The US Navy has designed fault-tolerant Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Passive Propagation Resistant (PPR) batteries suitable for use on submarine AUVs, in collaboration with L3Harris.
Lithium-ion batteries have long posed a conundrum for armed forces: in terms of power generation and delivery, they have become a reliable standard. But they have also historically been both a significant fire hazard and a distinct explosion risk. Those risks are exacerbated by the nature of submarines in terms of both pressure and oxygen replenishment, so taking Li-ion batteries into the underwater battlefield has always required extreme care.
The particular risk of Li-ion batteries is in
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