Rolls-Royce and ZF develop drive system for European project

The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Supportn (BAAINBw) in Friedrichshafen, has commissioned Rolls-Royce Power Systems to develop the drive system for the European Main Ground Combat System (MGCS). Rolls-Royce, together with ZF, is developing the world’s first parallel-hybrid drive for heavy military tracked vehicles.

The company’s say preliminary tests show that a newly developed electrified powershift steering transmission with stepless superimposition makes manoeuvrers more agile and increases efficiency; and that this — together with a hybridised cooling system and adaptively controlled engine — significantly increases overall efficiency. Furthermore, the main drive ‘requires little installation space and has favourable weight characteristics’.

Dr Jörg Stratmann, Rolls-Royce Power Systems’ CEO, said: “Europe needs a strong and reliable defence architecture to secure its defence capabilities in the long term. Our propulsion system is a robust and powerful building block for this, designed for current and future mission profiles. It strengthens the operational capabilities of European armed forces and increases operational reliability, while helping to anchor technological expertise and industrial value creation.”

Newly developed 10-cylinder engine
At the heart of the MGCS drive system is a newly developed 10-cylinder engine from the MTU Series 199. A high-performance engine designed for extreme load shifting, driving dynamics, special military requirements, and the increased electrical energy requirements of future combat vehicles, it delivers around 1,100kW of mechanical power, which is the majority of the hybrid powerpack’s system output of over 1,400kW.

The system is working for the first time in a heavy tracked vehicle as part of ‘a hybrid drive in parallel design’. The engine combines modern electronics with the robustness and uses ‘a particularly robust injection system’ that is capable of running on multiple fuels and can cope with low-quality fuel.

Meanwhile, the ZF eLSG 5000 is an electrified powershift steering transmission with a continuously variable superimposed steering system for heavy tracked armoured vehicles. The system combines ‘modern by-wire technologies for drive, brake and steering as well as energy recovery in a compact transmission and offers the option of boosting and recuperation’.