Low Weight High Performance Engine offered for FRES

• Series 890: New Diesel-Electric Drive System for Armored Vehicles
• Weight and Volume low as never before
• German Army uses Series 890 for the new "Puma" tank
• Lower cost alternative for FRES: Proven Series 199 engines

London - mtu Friedrichhafen offers a completely new and revolutionary generation of high-performance diesel engines for tanks, the HPD (High Power Density) or series 890. The engine is designed to meet the requirements of the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES), which is planned for the British Army.

The Series 890 is a complete engine family, based on a highly compact, high speed, four stroke diesel engine and will be available in 4, 6, 8, 10,12 and 16 cylinder Vee configuration. The power output for will range from 368 kW to 1100 kW (500 to 1500 mHP). Thus, it is suited for both smaller tanks of 15 tons and more as well as for main battle tanks with a weight of 60 tons or more.

Weight and Volume low as never before

As a result of improved technological features and weight optimized parts the HPD 6V for example achieves a reduction in weight and volume of approximately 60 % compared to existing modern military engines of the same power output. The company speaks of an up to now unattained weight-to power ratio of 0.94 kg/kW. The cooling system is also designed in a smaller way compared to a militarized truck engine of the same power range.

The main features of the engine concept are one liter displacement per cylinder and an integrated design of subsystems such as oil pumps, dry oil sumps or the engine oil heat exchanger. Furthermore the 890 family is equipped with the common rail injection system, a fully digitized engine management and a high temperature cooling system.

The HPD engine concept allows an exceptional flexibility concerning its integration in existing and new engine compartments. Based on the exhaust system and charge air supply of the tank the turbocharging system can be located on either the driving end, or the free end of the engine. As a consequence multiple block geometries are possible. Moreover the series 890 can be adjusted for either electric drive or conventional drive with hydro mechanical transmission.

German Army uses Series 890 for the new "Puma" tank

mtu has been awarded the contract to develop a propulsion system based on the new HPD engine for the new German Infantry Fighting Vehicle "Puma". This tank, ranging in the 30-ton class and capable of being transported by plane, represents the highest standard of German tank engineering. Although being very lightweight, "Puma" is designed for a high protection against ballistic attacks. The resulting requirements for the propulsion system are correspondingly high as well.

"Puma" will be equipped with the MT892, a 10 cylinder series 890 (HPD) engine, with a maximum power output of 800 kW at 4250 min-1 and a maximum torque of 2070 Nm. The core engine will weigh 860 kg and have a size of only 1050 x 700 x 620 mm. The propulsion system will be designed as a complete power pack containing the core engine, transmission, starter/generator, cooling and exhaust system.

The US procurement department TACOM also placed an order for HPD: Together with its American sister company Detroit Diesel Corporation, mtu is about to develop a 6V 890 based power pack as an propulsion option for the Future Combat System (FCS) of the US Army.

Proven series 199 engines - a lower cost alternative to HPD engines

Besides the new series 890 engine, armies in different countries use the proven series 199 engines for their light and medium armored vehicles. The series 199 engines (260 - 600 kW), represent a significant step forward compared to the original series 500 truck engines from DaimlerChrysler which they are derived from: At lower weight (minus 5 per cent) and smaller size, the militarized 8V 199 engine delivers 40 per cent more power than the corresponding 8V truck engine OM 502 LA. The power-to-weight-ratio of the 8V 199 is down 45 per cent to 2.0 kg/kW.

The Australian Army recently decided to repower 350 M113 armored personnel carriers with 6V 199 engines. Following conversion, these tracked vehicles will once again be restored to state-of-the-art equipment. The general contractor in overall charge of the modernization project is the Australian corporation Tenix.
The 6V 199 engine in M113 produces 260 kW and conforms to the Euro 3 emission limits.

An eight cylinder 8V 199 engine is used in the Austrian armored personnel carrier ULAN which carries eleven soldiers. In a first lot, the Austrian Ministry of Defense decided to acquire 112 of these vehicles. An option for a second production lot includes an additional 48 units. Thanks to the power of 530 kW (720 mhp), ULAN attains a top speed of 70 km/h despite a weight of around 28 tons. The engine is integrated in a complete power pack containing not only the engine but also transmission, cooling and filtration systems and other components.

The British and the US Army also have experience with series 199 engines: The engine is being used in prototypes of the armored vehicles "Tracer" and "AHED".
Tracer is an air-transportable highly mobile tracked vehicle with a weight of under 19 tons. It uses a high performance fuel efficient conventional powerpack based on an 6V 199 engine developing 400 kW.

The 13 ton 8x8 wheeled AHED vehicle uses an advanced hybrid-electric drive powered by a 400 kW 6V 199 engine from mtu. The hybrid electric propulsion system is dedicated to a low fuel consumption, technology maturity, platform commonality and performance. The 6V 199 engine was selected for its power density, efficiency and favourable form.

Technical Data of the 8V 199 and 6V 890 (HPD) engines

Engine Model	mtu 8V 199	6V 890 (MT890)
Number of cylinders	8 in Vee configuration	6 in Vee configuration
Engine power	600 kW / 2300 rpm	550 kW / 4250 rpm
Weight incl. charging and air filtration system	1,225 kg	520 kg
Weight-to-power ratio	2.0 kg/kW	0.94 kg/kW
Volume incl. charging and air filtration system	1.1 m³	0.43 m³
Power-to-volume ratio	545 kW/m³	1,280 kW/m³