Cummins Is Focused on the Military Market with AMMPS Generators

The new generation of military generators is no entering full production. Cummins is the initial manufacturer. More information is needed to determine who will make the various components. In the MEP802A and MEP803A models, Lister Petter, which is now in bankruptcy (again),  made the core engine and fuel injection components.  This has led to a much shorter lifespan to the MEP802A and MEP803A generation.  The new AMMPS (Advanced Medium Mobile Power Sources) 3rd formal generation of MEP (mobile electric power) will hopefully be a much longer-lived generation.

Here is a press release from Cummins dated August 29, 2012:

We are proud to announce that up to 1600 Advanced Medium Mobile Power Systems (AMMPS) are being deployed by the U.S. Army to Afghanistan over the next year. The new fuel-efficient generators, designed and built by Cummins Power Generation, are expected to save lives on the battlefield by saving fuel.

The new generators cut fuel consumption by as much as 21 percent compared with the older generators currently in use, thus reducing the frequency of fuel convoys, which are often targets for roadside attacks. The deployment of AMMPS is part of an aggressive effort by the Department of Defense to cut fuel consumption and improve operational energy efficiency.

“Soldiers need power to run communications gear, weapons systems, tactical operations centers and more,” said LTC Michael Foster, product manager for medium power sources. “Especially in Afghanistan, units cannot depend on clean and reliable power that operates in austere conditions; therefore, they have to take power with them. To be able to do that in an efficient way allows soldiers to focus on combat operations instead of tactical power.”

Ranging in size from 5 kilowatts to 60 kilowatts, AMMPS generators are 10 percent smaller and lighter than the generators they are replacing. In addition, AMMPS units overall are 50 percent more reliable, greatly reducing maintenance costs and time. Once fully implemented, the new generators are expected to avoid 346,000 hours of maintenance manpower per year in Afghanistan.

Bob Lewis, AMMPS program manager for Cummins Power Generation, said, “We are proud to have been selected by the U.S. Army to design the next-generation military generator, and to have received the order to proceed with full production. It is especially gratifying to see the product being deployed where it can benefit the troops.”