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Robins AFB, Georgia– The Air Force Advanced Power Technology Office (APTO),
headquartered at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia recently announced the first
military airlift of a fuel cell powered military vehicle. The effort to convert
the vehicle was a true multi-service collaboration including the U.S. Army
Engineering Research and Development Center/Construction Engineering Research
Laboratory’s Fuel Cell Test and Evaluation Center (FCTec), the U.S. Marine Corps, MAG-49 Det Bravo
C-130 Airlift Unit and the U.S. Air Force APTO.
The
MB-4 Aircraft Towing Tractor, a four wheel drive, four wheel steer, 14,000
pound drawbar pull vehicle was converted from a diesel powered mechanical
drive vehicle to a fuel cell powered electric drive vehicle. The
integration effort, accomplished by Concurrent Technologies Corporation,
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, incorporates a Hydrogenics, Incorporated 65kW
Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell system, Dynetek Industries’ carbon
fiber wrap hydrogen storage system and Enova’s Panther 120 Drive System.
The combination of these subsystems enables the vehicles towing capacity
to remain unchanged, while the addition of a power inverter enhanced the
vehicles capability by permitting power generated by the fuel cell to be
delivered to aircraft and/or ancillary support equipment.
The
vehicle was transported to Hickam AFB, Hawaii by Marine C-130 airlift on
the 20th of October, 2006. The vehicle will be put through a
demonstration/validation program while in daily use at Hickam AFB.
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