Advanced Electrical Power Generation (High Power Non-Super-Conducting)

Weapon systems of the directed energy type require high electric power. A laser based system will require several Megawatts, usually at low duty-cycle. Another technology is using microwave energy, which requires continuous power of several hundredsKilowatts.The technical challenge is to develop a lightweight, compact power system that will be designed to operate on aircraft operating from sea level to 20,000 feet. Power considerations for this design will be up to 5 Megawatts, and several duty cycles will beevaluated for an array of potential applications.The opportunity in this program is to develop a conventional generator system, which will favorably compete with super-conducting systems both in terms of size and weight, while being less complicated and significantly less expensive. A generator that willhave continuous output of 600-700 kW, to support a microwave based directed energy system, could provide power bursts of up to 1.5 MW and support a laser system. This will allow for a single power source for both applications.An application of this technology could be a current Lockheed-Martin program that requires an output of 1.5MW at 270 VDC, and load duty cycle of 5 seconds