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Case study: Electric countermeasure

Compact, efficient power solutions enable improved countermeasure capabilities

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Customer’s challenge

The electronic battlefield relies heavily on UAV-based electronic warfare systems to detect, assess and in some cases prohibit enemy threats. It is vitally important to keep these systems as small and undetectable as possible for survivability. Key goals were:

  • Establish a 270V bus on board as efficiently as possible
  • Compact power components
  • Enhance the agility of the UAV
Radar affected by electronic countermeasure

The Vicor solution

Vicor patented, high-performance power modules provided the compact size, light weight and efficiency needed for the UAVs to stay in the air longer making them the perfect over watch sentinels. A lightweight, compact array of Vicor BCMs® provides high power to the 270V bus. 

Key benefits

Key benefits

High efficiency icon image

97.9% efficient power conversion to a 270V bus

Parallel icon image

Parallelable modules to attain the power levels necessary

Density icon image

High power density allows for flexible placement on board the UAV

Power delivery network

A stack of six BCM® converter modules with the outputs all in series provide 4,242VDC isolation and exceptional efficiency of 97.9%. As is typical in any UAV, the space made available is limited and of irregular shape. The Vicor modular approach allows great flexibility in how to build a power delivery to fit within the platform.

Power Delivery Network for an electronic countermeasure
MIL-COTS BCM Family

MIL-COTS BCM® bus converter modules


Input: 200 – 400V, 400 – 700V, 500 – 800V


Current: Up to 35A


Efficiency: Up to 98%


As small as 1.28 x 0.86 x 0.26in


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