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2007 Military Survey Gemma Crawley, Fuel Cell Today - May 2007 2007 Military Survey
Gemma Crawley, Fuel Cell Today
- May 2007 www.fuelcelltoday.com
Introduction
Historically, the military sector has always provided a high level of funding for fuel cell research and development
programmes. Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology was developed in the early 1960s by General
Electric as part of a research programme with the U.S. Navys Bureau of Ships (Electronics Division) and the U.S.
Army Signal Corps. In addition, the development of other fuel cell systems has also bene ted heavily from military
investment. A desire for cutting edge technology that is silent, clean and can provide power for longer has lead to
signi cant military investment in fuel cells for the development of portable solider power, transportation solutions
and eld communications equipment.
Hefty investment in fuel cell technology by military organisations has driven many commercial companies to
develop systems for this sector. The military is able to provide funding for initial research and development and
can then test and assess the fuel cell units. Further funding may be provided to improve upon the technology and
obsolete models can be adapted for commercial purposes.
The driving forces for military development remain to be centred largely round three main areas: quieter power
generation (with obvious bene ts for eld equipment and solider power), improved reliability and cost savings. In
addition, the use of fuel cells for portable power can signi cantly reduce the weight load carried by a solider as the
systems do not weigh as much as conventional batteries. Fuel cells also require less space than batteries and can
provide a source of clean drinking water.
In our 2006 survey, we reported a trend for military groups to target fuel cells as a solution to increasing e ciency
but also for ensuring a level of environmental protection. This trend has continued in to 2007 with the Army, Navy
and Air Force awarding numerous contracts for the development of fuel cell technology for portable, stationary
and transportation applications. Since writing our last survey, twenty six new companies have entered this market
sector, announcing details of programmes or contracts undertaken with various military organisations. The major-
ity of these companies are located in North America (perhaps an unsurprising observation) as this is the region
where military investment is highest.
Region of Operation
When analysing the split of organisations involved in the military fuel cell sector, North America predominates.
This observation remains unchanged since the 2006 military survey was published although, with the addition of
several new entities to the sector, the number of North America companies has increased by nearly 20% since April
2006. The budget available to military organisations in the USA for R&D and technology testing is signi cantly
larger than that available in other global areas. For this reason, several development projects can be supported
simultaneously thus o ering incentives for fuel cell companies to locate in this region. www.fuelcelltoday.com
Organisations involved in the development of fuel cells for military applications, by region (Source: Fuel Cell Today)
The number of organisations located in Asia and Europe has also increased since publication of the previous
military survey and for the rst time, a company located in South America has been included in the survey. Such
observations re ect the fact that development of fuel cell systems for military applications is not only occurring
and growing in North America and that in future, other global regions may begin to expand military activity in the
fuel cell sector.
It is worth noting that federally supported projects in the USA are obliged to publish some level of information in
the public domain. This is not the case for projects in other global locations making it substantially more di cult
to collect and collate information. It is highly likely that because of this, there is a signi cant amount of develop-
ment work occurring in regions outside of North America that is not documented and therefore excluded from this
survey.
Area of Application
The development of fuel cells for portable applications continues to dominate the military market and nearly half
of all organisations active in this sector are developing fuel cell solutions for portable power. Fuel Cells for use in all
transport markets account for around 40% of developer activity. Within the transportation sector the majority of
companies are developing fuel cells for use in sea applications.


Organisations by application (Source: Fuel Cell Today)
These general trends have not changed since our 2006 survey was published and although there has been an
increase in the number of companies working on military projects, the market share for each application remains
largely the same as twelve months ago (see graph on next page). www.fuelcelltoday.com
Over the past year there has been a slight increase in the number of stationary projects commissioned by military
bodies. Whilst such projects account for only a small portion of overall market share in terms of application, the
actual number of fuel cell units involved is much higher.
Market share by application based on primary activity of organisations developing fuel cells for military purposes
(Source: Fuel Cell Today)
The most notable change since the 2006 survey has been the increase in development of fuel cells for use in
weapons. This application has doubled its market share in the last year. However, the number of organisations
working in this sector remains small and all of them are research focussed at this stage.
Project Development Update
Within the military sector fuel cells are employed in a diverse range of applications. As a result, the information
contained within this survey covers a variety of areas aimed at supplying the military. For more in depth data on
each speci c market please refer to the latest Portable Application, Niche Transport, Large Stationary and Small
Stationary surveys.
Portable Applications
In terms of portable fuel cell development for military applications there has been a lot of activity in the past
twelve months with 14 new organisations entering this sector. Companies such as Idatech, Jadoo Power, Mes-
oscopic Devices, Millennium Cell, NanoDynamic and Neah Power continue to develop new and innovative solu-
tions to the militarys need for portable power. Fuel cell research remains an area of focus for both funding oppor-
tunities and development schemes and in 2006 there were several real-world demonstration programmes jointly
undertaken by fuel cell companies and the armed forces.
One such project is the French Armys FELIN (Fantassin à Equipements et Liaisons Intégrés integrated solider
system) programme which will ultimately equip up to 32,000 soldiers with integrated systems. The contract for the
scheme was awarded to Sagem Défense Sécurité in March 2004 and under its terms the company is responsible
for system de nition and ergonomics, system development and integration, manufacturing, training and inte-
grated logistics support. Since March 2004, several prototypes have been delivered to the French Army and the
countrys Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) to test FELINs performance, ergonomics and ability to withstand
harsh conditions. The rst 358 units were delivered to the French Army in early 2007 and three additional combat
units are scheduled to be equipped during the second quarter of 2007. Mass production of systems is expected to
begin in 2008. Sagem plans to develop FELIN Version 2 (V2) for the French Army and begin production of this unit
in 2015.
The FELIN system weighs 24kg and can produce 24 hours of dismounted combat power. To recharge, soldiers will
use a fuel cell unit (built in to a range of vehicles) to provide a further two days of power. The unit is designed to be
compatible with all combat operations (day, night, dismounted, mounted on vehicles and aircraft and airborne) in
a variety of conditions (rural or wilderness etc). FELIN can be used to power a variety of solider equipment includ-
ing: multimedia portable computers, personal digital radios, audio headbands, optronic head systems, weapons
sights, combat uniforms, anti-ballistic gear and protective head gear