WILMINGTON, Del., 31 July 2009. U.S. Army leaders are continuing a plan to develop wearable military fuel cell technology to provide lightweight military electric power to infantry soldiers on extended missions in the field who need battery power for military radios, sensors, rugged computers, and other military electronic devices.

Army officials awarded a follow-up order DuPont of Wilmington, Del., and SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG in Brunnthal, Germany, to continue developing the M-25 wearable power fuel cell -- a small, lightweight, portable military power supply that can extend soldier mission times to 72 hours or more. The project cost is about $3 million, DuPont officials say.

The M-25 wearable fuel cell is part of an integrated body-worn power source that can be carried by the soldier that combines DuPont's direct methanol technology with SFC's fuel cell systems. The M-25 is as much as 80 percent lighter than conventional power sources, yet capable of powering a wide range of soldier equipment, company officials say. The devices powers electronics and provides remote area battery charging and power.

The agreement is another step in the M-25 program, which the $1 million U.S. Department of Defense Wearable Power Prize last October.

For more information contact DuPont online at www2.dupont.com, or SFC Smart Fuel Cell at www.sfc.com.