Lancashire aircraft makers team up with motor racing specialists on battery technology

Staff at BAE System’s Warton and Samlesbury sites have worked with Williams Advanced Engineering to explore how battery management and cooling technologies from the motorsport industry could offer efficiency and performance gains in the air.

Next generation combat air technologies, such as the Tempest being designed at Warton, will need high-power at low weight in order to provide long range endurance and mission success.

Future systems will also need to generate enough energy to power a small town, which can be managed safely and efficiently throughout the aircraft and its subsystems, with pilots depending on high-performance ‘power when you need it’ combat air capability.

WAE is a world leader in the design and delivery of advanced battery technologies that provide durable, fast charging power capability and was recently appointed as the Gen3 exclusive battery system supplier of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Julia Sutcliffe, chief technology officer for BAE Systems’ Air sector, said: “Working in partnership with companies like WAE is vital to drive rapid innovation at the pace the Tempest programme demands.

"Changing how we engage with wider industry and leveraging the best technologies and processes from across the global supply chain is essential in order to deliver value to the UK, our international partners and our allies.”

Paul McNamara, Technical Director, Williams Advanced Engineering, said: “We feel privileged to be involved in this ground breaking project and are confident that our experience in advanced battery development and cooling technologies will allow us to deliver innovative new solutions that can be applied in the defence sector.

"We have already seen a number of tangible benefits.”

Rolls Royce has also worked in the project, on development of power and thermal management systems.