Date: Jan 01, 2012 Source: ARMY SBIR Success Story (
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Because the Army relies heavily on petroleum-based fuel for all its operations, a strategic imperative is to reduce the demand for energy in military operations, improve the efficiency of military energy use in order to enhance combat effectiveness and force protection, and to reduce costs. Advanced intermodal modular packaging techniques will improve logistics by reducing retrograde, waste, and storage requirements and eliminate the current blocking of containers, which is very time consuming.
In this SBIR project, Triton Systems is leveraging the key features of the Joint Modular Intermodal Container (JMIC) program to contribute to improved logistics support. Triton designed and fabricated JMIC -- Ultralight, a low cost, lightweight, fuel saving version of the JMIC with enhanced capability for in-transit asset tracking and environmental monitoring.
JMIC -- Ultralight is easy to assemble, stackable, man portable, has a 1500 pound payload, weighs 55 percent less than the current legacy JMIC, and has the ability to interface with the standard 463L pallet. The standard 463L pallet has a capacity of 10,000 pounds, but typically much less can be shipped because the present "lump and net" system is very inefficient. This technology has the ability to double stack and its modular nature allows up to 8 containers per 463L pallet.
The lightweight nature of the JMIC-UltraLight enables the full 10,000 pounds per 463L pallet; minimizes container weight; and, maximizes air cargo utilization up to 100 percent of capacity. This translates to potentially saving as many as 80 percent of supply missions, saving millions of gallons of fuel and dramatically reducing costs. The system withstands the harsh marine environment underway and enables the safe delivery of food, medicines, and ordinance to its final destination.
Technology Transition:
$140K has been provided by the Army to produce prototype JMIC-UltraLights to test them against MILSTD 3028, which establishes design guidelines and associated tests. Triton is building a series of operational test units for the Army Product Manager Force Sustainment Systems (PM-FSS), Marine Corps Program Manager Expeditionary Power Systems, (USMC PM EPS), and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) for Joint Medical Logistics.
