Battling Mother Nature - DEW Engineering
DEW Engineering conquers the cold
P
by Jason McNaught
erhaps once considered the largest threat to Canadian soldiers in the Arctic, the infamous fire-breathing immersion water heater has been slain once and for all thanks to DEW Engineering. DEW, a CoorsTek company based in Ottawa and Miramichi, NB, is an established defence business that provides customers with total solutions for protective armour innovation, vehicle integration and large-scale manufacturing. Although the company is well known in the Canadian Army for the design, manufacture and modification of military platforms and systems, it may soon earn a reputation as the saviour of cold infanteers. Throughout its long history of use, the Canadian Forces’ immersion water heater was one of the most cursed and dastardly pieces of equipment used daily by soldiers in the field for morning coffee and hot shaves. Even at its inception, the temperamental beast could have been harshly accused of being archaic and obsolete, but its worst trait, at least for those who would fire it up in the
42 volume 20 issue 4
early morning hours, was its propensity to erase even the thickest of eyebrows via an audible whoomp! and a brilliant flash of fire. Many old soldiers reflect on the immersion water heater with a sense of nostalgia, forgiving the curmudgeonly appliances for their misgivings, as they produced an almost daily ritual of hilarity every morning. But the comedic relief, unfortunately, wasn’t quite enough to make soldiers forget that their increased presence in the frigidly cold Arctic also increased the requirement for equipment that could withstand and operate successfully in extreme environments. The immersion heater, standing off in the distance in a rusty metal reservoir and struggling mightily in sub-zero temperatures, suddenly started to become a symbol for that need. With the capacity to blast out 100,000 BTUs regardless of Mother Nature’s plans, DEW Engineering’s space heater will be a key ally in PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEW ENGINEERING)
LEFT: ! ! "#$ ! ! ! %&' ( "*++"+++ -
"./" ! / ABOVE: DEW’s water heater is an unsung hero of the Canadian Forces,
!
The immersion heaters’ swan song finally came to an abrupt end when Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay announced at CFB Gagetown in May 2010 that DEW had been awarded a contract for 2,110 field space heaters and 520 immersion water heaters. Over 1,800 of the former have been delivered, with water heater deliveries commencing this summer. DEW was admittedly a strong contender for the contract, having already demonstrated its ability to develop innovative products for extreme climates a year earlier, when the company was awarded a $130 million DND contract to manufacture approximately 900 highly deployable baseline military shelters in partnership with a number of Canadian companies. Understandably, the buzz around the new contract for heaters wasn’t the sort of thing that resulted in frenzied media scrums and sensational media headlines the day it was announced in New Brunswick — even DEW’s president stifled his excitement, remarking that he was “pleased” after the announcement — but had they listened, a collective sigh of relief could have been heard from any active or retired soldier who ever had to drop a burning match into a pool of gasoline to get water heated for their morning coffee, or found themselves shivering uncontrollably in a freezing tent. DEW’s heaters, which are being built in their 125,000 squarefoot facility in Ottawa, are specifically designed for extreme cold weather operation in the Arctic and represent the culmination of a close collaboration with Finnish company Polartherm, whose main customer has traditionally been the U.S. military. DEW’s improved space heater will be capable of throwing out 100,000 BTUs (or British thermal units) and is tested to -51 degrees Celsius, while the water heater will provide instantaneous, on-demand hot water. The space and water heater units look
similar to one another, as both share a common enclosure and many internal parts, and primarily run on diesel fuel. The symbiotic nature and common footprint of the two heaters ultimately reduces maintenance and long-term support costs, making their use ideal in remote areas with the Canadian Forces. DEW’s partnership with Polartherm in the Department of National Defence’s Field Equipment Heating Program continues to be representative of an ongoing business model for the company, which often pairs with original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in order to provide cost-effective and innovative solutions for specific client requirements. More recently, DEW’s new relationship with Rafael Advanced Defence Systems of Israel, announced in May 2011, will allow them to incorporate some of the most technologically advanced active protection systems (APS) for armoured vehicles currently available today. One example of these systems is the “Trophy,” which detects incoming threats such as anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), interprets which ones will make contact, and neutralizes them automatically using multiple explosively formed penetrator (MEFP) warheads. Considered the only effective countermeasure against projectiles containing tandem warheads designed to pierce reactive armour systems, the Trophy APS is also able to engage multiple threats coming from different directions. Although DEW’s humble heaters may not be able to boast sophisticated defence mechanisms, or be able to deliver high kill probabilities (which is a good thing), it will — quite literally — warm the hearts of the soldiers who once stumbled around with singed facial hair after shivering through a long night in frigidly cold
DEW ENGINEERING ... CONTINUED ON PAGE 59 may 2013 esprit de corps 43
DEW ENGINEERING ... CONT’D FROM PAGE 43
' $$22" ! ! 3 4 " ! ! 5 U.S. ARMY)
temperatures. It may not be immediately apparent to those who walk by its modest, boxy frame, but engineering a piece of equipment into its simplest form — so that it’s reliable, efficient and easy to maintain — isn’t simple at all. DEW’s reputation is wrapped up in that little piece of equipment; it’s not flashy, but it gets the job done. #$ 6! ! %&' 6 *++"+++ -
"./DEW ENGINEERING)
INDEPENDENT VIEWS INVESTIGATIVE NEWS INFORMATIVE HISTORY
Since its first edition in 1988, Esprit de Corps has become the most talked-about military magazine in Canada and the most influential publication within defence circles. Independent editorials and history features make Esprit de Corps a must-read for Canadian Forces officers, the rank and file, key political decision-makers and policy-makers, industry representatives, and Canadian history buffs alike.
For more information contact Esprit de Corps Magazine #204 – 1066 Somerset St. W., Ottawa ON K1Y 4T3 Tel: 1-800-361-2791
www.espritdecorps.ca
may 2013 esprit de corps 59
P
by Jason McNaught
erhaps once considered the largest threat to Canadian soldiers in the Arctic, the infamous fire-breathing immersion water heater has been slain once and for all thanks to DEW Engineering. DEW, a CoorsTek company based in Ottawa and Miramichi, NB, is an established defence business that provides customers with total solutions for protective armour innovation, vehicle integration and large-scale manufacturing. Although the company is well known in the Canadian Army for the design, manufacture and modification of military platforms and systems, it may soon earn a reputation as the saviour of cold infanteers. Throughout its long history of use, the Canadian Forces’ immersion water heater was one of the most cursed and dastardly pieces of equipment used daily by soldiers in the field for morning coffee and hot shaves. Even at its inception, the temperamental beast could have been harshly accused of being archaic and obsolete, but its worst trait, at least for those who would fire it up in the
42 volume 20 issue 4
early morning hours, was its propensity to erase even the thickest of eyebrows via an audible whoomp! and a brilliant flash of fire. Many old soldiers reflect on the immersion water heater with a sense of nostalgia, forgiving the curmudgeonly appliances for their misgivings, as they produced an almost daily ritual of hilarity every morning. But the comedic relief, unfortunately, wasn’t quite enough to make soldiers forget that their increased presence in the frigidly cold Arctic also increased the requirement for equipment that could withstand and operate successfully in extreme environments. The immersion heater, standing off in the distance in a rusty metal reservoir and struggling mightily in sub-zero temperatures, suddenly started to become a symbol for that need. With the capacity to blast out 100,000 BTUs regardless of Mother Nature’s plans, DEW Engineering’s space heater will be a key ally in PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEW ENGINEERING)
LEFT: ! ! "#$ ! ! ! %&' ( "*++"+++ -
"./" ! / ABOVE: DEW’s water heater is an unsung hero of the Canadian Forces,
!
The immersion heaters’ swan song finally came to an abrupt end when Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay announced at CFB Gagetown in May 2010 that DEW had been awarded a contract for 2,110 field space heaters and 520 immersion water heaters. Over 1,800 of the former have been delivered, with water heater deliveries commencing this summer. DEW was admittedly a strong contender for the contract, having already demonstrated its ability to develop innovative products for extreme climates a year earlier, when the company was awarded a $130 million DND contract to manufacture approximately 900 highly deployable baseline military shelters in partnership with a number of Canadian companies. Understandably, the buzz around the new contract for heaters wasn’t the sort of thing that resulted in frenzied media scrums and sensational media headlines the day it was announced in New Brunswick — even DEW’s president stifled his excitement, remarking that he was “pleased” after the announcement — but had they listened, a collective sigh of relief could have been heard from any active or retired soldier who ever had to drop a burning match into a pool of gasoline to get water heated for their morning coffee, or found themselves shivering uncontrollably in a freezing tent. DEW’s heaters, which are being built in their 125,000 squarefoot facility in Ottawa, are specifically designed for extreme cold weather operation in the Arctic and represent the culmination of a close collaboration with Finnish company Polartherm, whose main customer has traditionally been the U.S. military. DEW’s improved space heater will be capable of throwing out 100,000 BTUs (or British thermal units) and is tested to -51 degrees Celsius, while the water heater will provide instantaneous, on-demand hot water. The space and water heater units look
similar to one another, as both share a common enclosure and many internal parts, and primarily run on diesel fuel. The symbiotic nature and common footprint of the two heaters ultimately reduces maintenance and long-term support costs, making their use ideal in remote areas with the Canadian Forces. DEW’s partnership with Polartherm in the Department of National Defence’s Field Equipment Heating Program continues to be representative of an ongoing business model for the company, which often pairs with original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in order to provide cost-effective and innovative solutions for specific client requirements. More recently, DEW’s new relationship with Rafael Advanced Defence Systems of Israel, announced in May 2011, will allow them to incorporate some of the most technologically advanced active protection systems (APS) for armoured vehicles currently available today. One example of these systems is the “Trophy,” which detects incoming threats such as anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), interprets which ones will make contact, and neutralizes them automatically using multiple explosively formed penetrator (MEFP) warheads. Considered the only effective countermeasure against projectiles containing tandem warheads designed to pierce reactive armour systems, the Trophy APS is also able to engage multiple threats coming from different directions. Although DEW’s humble heaters may not be able to boast sophisticated defence mechanisms, or be able to deliver high kill probabilities (which is a good thing), it will — quite literally — warm the hearts of the soldiers who once stumbled around with singed facial hair after shivering through a long night in frigidly cold
DEW ENGINEERING ... CONTINUED ON PAGE 59 may 2013 esprit de corps 43
DEW ENGINEERING ... CONT’D FROM PAGE 43
' $$22" ! ! 3 4 " ! ! 5 U.S. ARMY)
temperatures. It may not be immediately apparent to those who walk by its modest, boxy frame, but engineering a piece of equipment into its simplest form — so that it’s reliable, efficient and easy to maintain — isn’t simple at all. DEW’s reputation is wrapped up in that little piece of equipment; it’s not flashy, but it gets the job done. #$ 6! ! %&' 6 *++"+++ -
"./DEW ENGINEERING)
INDEPENDENT VIEWS INVESTIGATIVE NEWS INFORMATIVE HISTORY
Since its first edition in 1988, Esprit de Corps has become the most talked-about military magazine in Canada and the most influential publication within defence circles. Independent editorials and history features make Esprit de Corps a must-read for Canadian Forces officers, the rank and file, key political decision-makers and policy-makers, industry representatives, and Canadian history buffs alike.
For more information contact Esprit de Corps Magazine #204 – 1066 Somerset St. W., Ottawa ON K1Y 4T3 Tel: 1-800-361-2791
www.espritdecorps.ca
may 2013 esprit de corps 59
