Cummins Power Generation, a division of Cummins Inc., recently announced that up to 1,600 Advanced Medium Mobile Power Systems are being deployed by the U.S. Army to Afghanistan over the next year.
The new generators cut fuel consumption by as much as 21 percent compared with the older generators currently in use, thus reducing the frequency of fuel convoys, which are often targets for roadside attacks. The deployment of AMMPS is part of an aggressive effort by the Department of Defense to cut fuel consumption and improve operational energy efficiency.
“Soldiers need power to run communications gear, weapons systems, tactical operations centers and more,” said LTC Michael Foster, product manager for medium power sources. “Especially in Afghanistan, units cannot depend on clean and reliable power that operates in austere conditions; therefore, they have to take power with them. To be able to do that in an efficient way allows soldiers to focus on combat operations instead of tactical power.”
Ranging in size from 5 to 60 kilowatts, AMMPS are 10-percent smaller and lighter than the generators they are replacing. In addition, AMMPS overall are 50-percent more reliable, which reduces maintenance costs and time, the maker says. Once fully implemented, the new generators are expected to avoid 346,000 hours of maintenance manpower per year in Afghanistan.
Cummins Power Generation delivers solutions for military, commercial, industrial, recreational, emergency and residential power needs. Products include alternators, generator-drive engines and pre-integrated power systems, combining generator sets with power control and transfer technologies. Services range from system design, project management, operations and maintenance contracts to development of turnkey power plants.
