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NSWC Crane Provides Battery Testing, Support for Minuteman III Missile

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS091103-09
Release Date: 11/3/2009 4:53:00 PM

From Naval Surface Warfare Center Corporate Communications

CRANE, Ind. (NNS) -- Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) is currently providing the United States Air Force (USAF) with ongoing tests and evaluations on batteries, which power components of the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

Minuteman III, a silo-launched guided missile that is able to reach a target of intercontinental range, is an element of the nation's strategic deterrent forces.

USAF routinely conducts unarmed test launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to predetermined, intercontinental targets. The most recent test launch occurred late summer 2009.

For more than 40 years NSWC Crane has provided battery engineering and testing support for the USAF's Minuteman ICBM program. NSWC Crane's Energy, Power and Interconnect Technologies Division performs electrical and environmental tests and engineering evaluations on batteries taken from the same lot, or production batch, that are used in the Minuteman III ICBM.

As batteries age, surveillance and aging tests are required to assess degradation and population homogeneity. Batteries also undergo environmental tests such as shock, vibration and temperature changes to simulate the missile-flight environment. Testing these batteries provides the data needed to validate that the batteries used in the missile will properly perform in extreme conditions if a need to defend against a potential threat occurs.

"We are constantly watching the batteries used in the Minuteman; our services to the customer are lifelong. NSWC Crane provides battery expertise to the Air Force, helping to ensure the nation's missile defense capability is trusted, ready and reliable should a need arise," said Kyle Denu, NSWC Crane's Missile and Aerospace branch manager.

In addition to testing the battery's functionality, the division also provides dedicated engineering support including prototype and design, specification development, analysis and procurement for new batteries for the Minuteman program. NSWC Crane's expertise in acquisition allows for thorough involvement in the purchase of new batteries as well as extensive involvement in the design and production. Use of this battery expertise allows the USAF to ensure new batteries are ready and reliable for use in missiles.

NSWC Crane's Power, Energy and Interconnect Technologies Division supports several other missile programs for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Missile Defense Agency. With a workforce of more than 150 highly skilled, technical experts and state-of-the-art facilities that support technical innovation, the NSWC Crane Energy, Power and Interconnect Technologies Division is home to the Department of Defense's (DoD) largest collection of electrochemical power source resources.