Saft (France), a manufacturer of specialized batteries for industrial and defense applications, announced that it was awarded a $6.5 million contract from the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to enhance capability to respond with high quantities of BA 5590 batteries during an emergency. The contract will invest in both logistical materials and equipment upgrades to shorten the time required to meet the needs of soldiers during in-theater situations.
The BA 5590 battery is the US military’s most widely used portable energy source, powering many types of communications devices used in combat throughout the armed services. With the contract, Saft will be able to produce the current BA 5590 batteries at a faster rate than before. The changes will also allow Saft to produce the BA 5590 high-capacity version, which provides the soldier with 20 percent more capacity in the same size package.
"Our portable lithium batteries have been fielded more than any other power source in the current conflict in the Middle East -- just as they were during the first Gulf War," said Saft’s Specialty Battery Group Sales Director Ben Helminen. "Saft was the largest and most reliable producer of the BA 5590 battery product family (including both the 5590 and 5390) during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, in which we produced more BA 5590 batteries, at a quicker rate than all other 5590 product family battery suppliers together."
