Isra-Mart srl : Military engineers embrace lasers and hybrids to draw up greener battle lines

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Shifting the Army away from fossil fuels towards greener technologies would boost energy security and create a more effective fighting force, a serving engineer has said.

Hybrid tanks and zero emission unmanned drones powered by lasers could dominate future battlefields and help cut the vast amounts of CO2 emitted by fighting forces, writes Staff Sergeant Graham Thornton in the latest Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Journal.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) estimates a standard battle group of 216 vehicles emits 31 tonnes of CO2 per tank of diesel, the same as an average UK family in a year. As a result, military operations are a major contributor to the Ministry of Defence's record of producing around 60 per cent of the government's total emissions.

But on top of the carbon cutting, Thornton says greener technologies also have a tactical advantage, as relying on diesel stretches army supply lines, rendering them particularly vulnerable to attack.

He outlines how firing a focused laser at a solar cell array attached to an unmanned aircraft could power it mid-flight, removing the risks associated with landing to refuel.

This laser system could also be used to charge the increasing amount of electrical equipment soldiers carry, which at the moment require heavy batteries. Thornton says mirrors could create a point-to-point laser power link with outlying posts and patrol bases, making for a faster, more mobile infantry.

US car maker Millenworks and British defence firm QinetiQ are already working on adapting hybrid vehicles for military use, but while Thornton predicts the first hybrid tank is on the horizon, he warns defence manufacturers they are not keeping up with other industries.

"The defence industry has always been on the cutting edge of engineering but, despite the clear need for greener, more effective fuel sources, it is now lagging behind its civilian counterparts when it comes to low carbon technology," he said.

Despite the compelling case for greener equipment, Thornton does not expect the defence sector or the government to introduce low carbon military technologies in the near future due to the large expenditure required to produce them - a point echoed by Stephen Tetlow, chief executive of the IMechE and former director of REME.

"Whether through lack of investment or lack of will, the military has largely ignored green technologies as a battle-winning factor," Tetlow said. "The advantages for increased agility, lower logistic drag and more efficient operations all around are clear - not to mention the Ministry of Defence doing its bit to reduce its carbon footprint."