Aloft, 101 Aviation STCing Lithium Battery for GIV, GV

Aloft AeroArchitects, 101 Aviation, and True Blue Power are developing a supplemental type certificate (STC) to replace the original nicad or lead-acid main-ship batteries in the Gulfstream IV, IV-SP, IV-X, V, and V-SP with TB50 lithium-ion batteries. After that STC is issued around June or July, plans are to develop a similar STC for the G650.

The TB50 is FAA technical standard order (TSO) approved and weighs 44 pounds. With two main-ship batteries, the TB50 installation weighs up to 60% less than nicad or lead-acid batteries. For example, a typical Gulfstream lead-acid battery weighs 96 pounds, or 192 pounds for both.

While the FAA issued special conditions applicable to this STC, “We do not anticipate any challenges in meeting [them],” 101 Aviation president Mike McClain told AIN. True Blue Power lithium-ion batteries are installed in more than 20 aircraft models and 5,000 aircraft, he explained, “logging over 13 million safe flight hours with zero in-flight failures.

“The lithium found in everyday consumer devices like smartphones and laptops uses a lithium metal oxide chemistry that is prone to thermal runaway, oxygen release, and self-sustaining fires when damaged or stressed, whereas this battery uses lithium-iron phosphate (LiFePO4), a fundamentally different chemistry that remains stable under extreme conditions, releases no flames, and produces carbon dioxide rather than oxygen in the rare event of a thermal incident.”

Additionally, the TB50 is maintained on-condition, which eliminates capacity checks or, for nicads, deep cycling. 101 Aviation is providing a four-year warranty for the TB50 battery. With a battery management system that controls and monitors battery performance, the TB50 ensures “balanced charging and discharging across all internal cells, preventing imbalances that can reduce performance or lifespan,” McClain said. “This battery has been seen to last 20,000-plus cycles with an estimated lifespan of eight to 15 years.”

Price of the Gulfstream STC will be $79,500 for the batteries, kit, STC paperwork, and the four-year warranty.