Saft Batteries Power F-35 Lightning II Fighter

Saft contributed to the successful first flight in mid-December of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) from Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. Smiths-Aerospace chose Saft's batteries to power the high-tech aircraft designed by Lockheed Martin. Saft's Li-ion and Ni-Cd batteries provide start-up power for the aircraft's auxiliary power unit (APU). Smiths-Aerospace supplies the battery charger control unit system integrator, responsible for providing monitoring, charging and power distribution from the batteries to the aircraft. The 270V Li-ion battery provides back-up power to operate the flight control surfaces during taxi, takeoff, flight, and landing. Together, the Li-ion and Ni-Cd batteries play an essential role for APU start and emergency back-up power in the event of an electrical generation system failure during flight. It is the first time that a fighter aircraft has relied on lithium-ion to provide these mission-critical roles in start-up, flight control and back-up power.