General Atomics providing battery for semi-autonomous underwater vehicle

Under the contract, awarded Monday, General Atomics will supply its Lithium-ion Fault Tolerant battery system, also known as LiFT. The Semi-Autonomous Hydrographic Reconnaissance Vehicle, or SAHRV, is a project intended to develop a platform for maritime intelligence gathering operations.

In a statement announcing the deal, General Atomics officials say the battery has been successfully fielded for underwater applications.

"Our modular, flexible LiFT battery systems are designed for integration into a wide range of platforms, and have been successfully tested for use on a manned submersible," General Dynamics Electromagnetic Systems president Scott Forney said in a press release.

The battery is built to support both manned and unmanned platforms, and designed to prevent uncontrolled cascading cell failure. General Atomics says this feature makes the system safer to use, and can keep equipped vehicles functional to complete their missions.