Researchers address future of missile electrical power
Example of a hydrogen fuel cell stack. (Photo: General Motors)
Could sodium cells or fuel cell stacks provide missile electrical power during flight, instead of thermal batteries?
Most missiles in service today use thermal batteries as their primary source of electrical power during flight. While this presents a number of distinct advantages — such as high energy density and potential for long storage without use — a number of challenges are emerging.
Chief amongst them is a limited supply chain and the fact that a number of thermal battery components are becoming scarcer and therefore more expensive.
The search for alternative sources of energy has started but few solutions so far can yield the same results with equal safety as thermal batteries.
In an attempt to crack the
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