Borsuk IFV programme marks turning point for Poland’s armoured modernisation
The Borsuk vehicles are to replace the Soviet-designed BMP-1 as the Polish military’s main tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).
GE Aviation will develop and demonstrate silicon carbide-based power electronics capable of supporting high-voltage ground vehicle electrical power architectures under a $2.1 million contract from the US Army announced on 15 March.
The contract will see the company undertake an 18-month development programme to demonstrate the benefits of its Silicon Carbide MOSFET technology combined with Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices in a 15kW, 28VDC/600VDC bi-directional converter.
GE expects the hardware to provide twice the power in less than 50% of the volume of present silicon-based power electronics. In addition, the converters will be able to operate in parallel and be CANbus programmable.
The contract is in support of the US Army's TARDEC next generation vehicle electrical power architecture leap-ahead technology development. It will result in a technology demonstration in mid-2017.
Vic Bonneau, president of electrical power systems, GE Aviation, said: ‘The US Army's implementation of silicon carbide technology for high voltage, more electric ground vehicles, facilitates significant improvements in size, weight and power for high temperature applications.
‘We have multiple silicon carbide based power conversion products in development and continue to invest in this area. Successes to date have led to this new application that will enable the US Army to better manage on-board power and simplify the vehicle cooling architecture. Ultimately, this product will increase mission capability for the warfighter.’
The Borsuk vehicles are to replace the Soviet-designed BMP-1 as the Polish military’s main tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).
The package of three standalone follow-on contracts makes this the largest contract won by the Australian company and larger than its total 2024 revenue.
Patria quotes a maximum rate of fire of eight rounds a minute from the new ARVE (ARtillery on VEhicle) self-propelled gun with a range of 40km for an assisted round. The rapid, low-risk development is designed to meet emerging requirements which have arisen out of the Ukraine war.
The termination of programmes such as JLTV and RCV has been harshly criticised by members of the US Congress.
In Conversation: Shephard's Gerrard Cowan talks to General Dynamics Mission Systems–United Kingdom’s Chris Burrows about how the company's UK TacCIS business is reshaping battlefield communications through sustained customer engagement, accelerated innovation and ecosystem collaboration.
This recent purchase of the medium-range air defence system adds to the country’s ongoing efforts to ramp up its overall defence readiness and capabilities.