General Atomics Delivers 1st Lift Batteries for USSOCOM'S New Dry Combat Submersible

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that it has delivered the first shipset of Lithium-ion Fault Tolerant (LiFT) batteries for the U.S. Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) new Dry Combat Submersible (DCS), a long endurance delivery vehicle capable of transporting personnel in a dry environment. GA-EMS is under contract with Lockheed Martin Corporation to provide LiFT batteries to power the DCS propulsion and internal support systems.

“We have made significant investment in developing the LiFT battery concept and have successfully demonstrated the reliability and resiliency of the LiFT battery system in realistic undersea conditions as well as in extreme testing environments,” stated Rolf Ziesing, vice president of Programs at GA-EMS. “We are proud to be supporting this program and are excited to deliver the first battery system for DCS. This milestone represents a big step forward in meeting the demand for safer and more capable battery systems for undersea applications.”

LiFT’s modular design and single cell fault tolerance is designed to prevent uncontrolled and catastrophic cascading Lithium-ion cell failure, improving the safety of personnel and platforms while keeping power available for high mission assurance. The flexible architecture of the high energy density LiFT battery system can be configured to meet the most demanding needs of manned and unmanned underwater vehicles. LiFT battery systems have undergone rigorous at-sea testing, including use in other undersea vehicles that have been classified by Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd (DNV-GL), an international accredited registrar and classification society for the maritime industry, further demonstrating the safe operation of the LiFT battery system architecture.