On 14 July 2026, Powapacs deployed portable power in support of Exercise Staff Shield 3 with 8 Engineer Brigade at Gibraltar Barracks, Minley. Two command posts ran on Powapacs systems for the working day, silently and with no external power connected.
A single HSR4000 powered the smaller command post: six to eight laptops and a Wi-Fi router. The main command post ran on an HSX, carrying ten to fifteen laptops, routers and other headquarters equipment. Both units started from full charge at 1030. Three hours later each still held 78%.
The numbers
Command post draw rises and falls as operators plug in and unplug, so the honest measure is charge consumed over time. The HSR4000 used 22% of its capacity in roughly three hours, about 7% an hour. On that measured basis a single unit projects to 13 to 14 hours of endurance, covering a full 0800 to 1800 working day with hours in hand. No engine, no exhaust, no acoustic or thermal signature, and no fuel moved.
An Xray expansion pack was connected in reserve but never switched on, so these figures are the base unit alone. Where multi-day endurance is needed, super-boost recharge brings a unit from 0 to 80% in around 20 minutes from mains or vehicle, and the ARC solar and wind suite keeps a static command post running indefinitely.
The HSX stayed with the brigade for continued use after the exercise, and a full power management plan for the next exercise in the series is in preparation.