DALLAS, May 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force selected Lockheed Martin to develop a next-generation mobile air base system capable of integrating several new energy sources.
The Air Force deploys a program called the Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources that provides units with a mobile air base that can be transported by aircraft. Under the announced contract, Lockheed Martin will develop a BEAR system that can use several different energy sources and reduces energy consumption.
The new system, called the Integrated Smart-BEAR Power System will be developed under a deal worth $3.5 million. Officials say the ISBPS is part of a larger effort to integrate renewable energy sources in the BEAR program and improve logistics by lowering fuel use by as much as 25 percent.
"Renewable energy sources can save lives and money by reducing the amount of fuel transported in theater," Gil Metzger, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control director for Intelligent Microgrid Solutions, said in a statement.
Metzger said that the development of the ISBPS has the potential to increase troop safety with the reduction of energy supply lines and possibly extended mission capabilities.
