The Army in November plans to deploy to Afghanistan its next-generation tactical generators, a move expected to save 300,000 gallons of fuel each month, service officials said.
Production will begin immediately on the Advanced Medium Mobile Power Sources (AMMPS), produced by Cummins Inc.’s [CMI] Cummins Power Generation unit, now that the program received approval in a July 20 full-rate production decision by Brig. Gen. N. Lee Price, program executive officer Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T).
Along with the production decision came a Full Materiel Release decision from Maj. Gen. Randolph Strong, commanding general of the Communications- Electronics Command.
“Power is the lifeblood of the networked systems our soldiers rely on to communicate critical information across the battlefield,” Price said. “As those systems multiply in number and capability, the demand for power follows–increasing the need for more efficient ways of generating, storing and distributing energy. The AMMPS family of generators answers that call. The most important factor is the number of soldiers who will not be placed in harm’s way having to transport that fuel.”
Paul Richard, acting project manager for Mobile Electric Power (PM MEP), said, “Not only will AMMPS provide a significant monthly fuel savings, they will also reduce the exposure of our soldiers to the dangers of improvised explosive device attacks on supply convoys.”
The Army’s Acquisition Objective is 39,476 AMMPS, Lt. Col. Michael Foster, PM MEP’s product manager for Medium Power Sources, told Defense Daily.
The Army’s plan is to replace older Military Standard Generators, the first generation military standard generators, and then start replacing the older Tactical Quiet Generators (TQG) models, the second generation military standard generators that have been in the field for more than 18 years, he said.
“The TQGs are much quieter, reliable and use less fuel than the first generation military standard generators,” he said. “The AMMPS generators are quieter than TQGs, 21 percent by fleet average, more fuel efficient than TQGs, and anywhere from 100-500 percent more reliable than TQGs, depending on the size of generator.”
Due to the significant fuel savings, operation and sustainment cost savings and associated manpower savings, the Army has accelerated funding to field AMMPS generators over a seven-year acquisition strategy, he said. As the Army fields AMMPS, Military Standard Generators are being retired from the Army’s inventory and TQGs will be fielded to lower priority units until they receive their AMMPS generators.
AMMPS range in size from 5 kilowatts (kW) to 60 kW. Also, the generators are smaller and lighter. During a wartime operations tempo, a 15 kW AMMPS generator pays for itself in fuel savings alone in nine months, the program manager’s office said.
It was not technically difficult to reduce size and weight, generate fuel savings and still put out the power needed, Foster said.
“Industry and technology have improved tremendously since the development of the previous Tactical Quiet Generators,” he said. “In Advanced Medium Mobile Power Sources (AMMPS), the overall weight was reduced by 10 percent as compared to the TQGs. The power output was improved so that the generators could carry more load while still reducing the fuel by 21 percent across the fleet.”
AMMPS also feature digital control screens in place of dials, extra cooling fans, and standardization between units of different sizes to simplify maintenance.
The AMMPS program began in 2004 and was divided into three phases, Foster said. Phase I was a full and open competitive source selection that selected two prime contractors to compete head-to-head in a competitive runoff. CPG was picked as one of the two prime contractors in the runoff and eventually won the downselect and was awarded Phase II of the program. The program was delayed by 20 months due to stop work orders that resulted from contractual protests. The protests were successfully resolved and the program started Phase II in January 2008. Phase II featured additional engineering manufacturing and development work, and developmental and operational testing. Phase II concluded this month with the July 20 decisions.
The new generators, fielded by PM MEP, enter the production and deployment phase at a key moment for the Army’s operational energy strategy.
The Army, which accounts for 21 percent of the Defense Department’s fuel and power consumption, is aggressively pursuing ways to reduce its energy footprint while ensuring soldiers’ power needs are met.
“Without energy, the Army stands still and silent,” said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army’s vice chief of staff, at the recent Army-Air Force Energy Forum in Arlington, Va. “…The challenge we face is how to ensure access to energy that is operational, necessary, and mission critical while remaining fiscally responsible stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars.”
The AMMPS program is one highlight of these efforts, Chiarelli said.