Standard Missile Block IV Battery

Abstract

During the 1980s a trend in automatic primary battery technologies was the replacement of silver-zinc batteries by thermal battery designs. The Standard Missile (SM 2) Block IV development is a noteworthy reversal of this trend. The SM 2, Block IV battery was originally attempted as a thermal battery with multiple companies attempting to develop a thermal battery design. These attempts resulted in failure to obtain a production thermal battery. A decision to pursue a silver-zinc battery design resulted in the development of a battery to supply the SM 2, Block IV (thermal battery design goal) and also the projected power requirements of the evolving SM 2, Block IVA in a single silver-zinc battery design. Several advancements in silver-zinc battery technology were utilized in this design that improve the producibility and extend the boundaries of silver-zinc batteries.