Every serious APU keeps a tank alive with the main engine off. The question is whose approval sits behind the unit.
VINCORION and Elbit's Kinetics both publish real auxiliary power units for armoured vehicles, and their figures are good. Set against them, our case is breadth of output and independence of supply: electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic power from 2 kW to 32.5 kW, altitude variants to 5,500 m, from an independent maker with no major-power approval gate attached.
Our auxiliary power units are in service with national armed forces, fitted to main battle tanks, infantry combat vehicles, mounted gun systems, missile handlers and radar installations. They are configured to the platform rather than sold as a fixed catalogue unit, and they are represented only once classification and the end-use chain are confirmed.
Side by side
| Attribute | Represented by UnstratVehicle auxiliary power units | VINCORION (Jenoptik)Auxiliary Power Units, 8 kW and 17 kW1Germany | Elbit Systems - KineticsAuxiliary Power Units (APU)2Israel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class and primary role12 | Compact ruggedised auxiliary power packs for armoured platforms, delivering power with the main engine off | Auxiliary power units and generator sets giving military vehicles and mobile platforms electrical energy tailored to onboard systems, with the vehicle engine off | Auxiliary power units for heavy-duty military applications, field-proven worldwide, for silent-watch power and reduced main-engine wear |
| Power output band12VINCORION's data sheet publishes exactly two ratings; Kinetics states a 2.5 to 17 kW band across its range. | 2 kW to 32.5 kW across configurations | 8 kW and 17 kW published models | 2.5 kW to 17 kW nominal output |
| Output types12 | Electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic, with integrated starter-generators and welding-rectifier variants | Electrical only; diesel engine, alternator and rectifier combination | Electrical only in the published specification; APU integrated with HVAC and NBC/CBRN life-support in the all-in-one design |
| Voltage options12 | 28 VDC to 330 VDC and 230/415 VAC, multi-voltage units including an 11 kW dual-voltage set | 28 V DC, nominal current 285 A (8 kW) or 610 A (17 kW) | 28 V DC, nominal current 70 to 600 A |
| Environmental envelope12 | Minus 40 C to plus 70 C design envelope, IP-65 / IP-67 sealing, dust-qualified | Not published in the data sheet (MIL-STD-810F qualification stated without a temperature band) | Operating ambient minus 46 C to plus 55 C |
| Altitude rating12 | Variants rated to 5,500 m, including an 11 kW dual-voltage unit rated at 16,000 ft for MBT application | Not published | Operating altitude 3,000 m |
| EMI and military standards12 | MIL-STD-461 C/E/F/G, MIL-STD-1275, MIL-STD-704F and JSS 55555 | MIL-STD-461F, MIL-STD-1275D and MIL-STD-810F | Not published in the brochure (rigorous military standards stated without citing the standard numbers) |
| Cooling and construction12 | Not published | Air cooling on the 8 kW unit, liquid cooling on the 17 kW; permanent-magnet flywheel generator direct-mounted on the engine | Liquid cooling; permanent-magnet brushless generator on a 2 to 4 cylinder four-stroke diesel |
| Weight and footprint12 | Not published (stated qualitatively as high volume-to-power ratio and minimum weight) | 8 kW unit approx. 98 kg at 486 x 579 x 372 mm; 17 kW unit approx. 270 kg at 1,100 x 462 x 415 mm | Not published in the general-specifications table |
| Fuel compatibility12 | Not published | Kerosene F-34 / F-63 and diesel F-54 | Diesel F-54, JP-8, F-34 and F-63 |
| Platform integrations12 | Main battle tanks, infantry combat vehicles, mounted gun systems, missile handling systems and radar installations | Military vehicles and mobile platforms generally; specific platforms not named in the data sheet | New and modernised tracked and wheeled vehicles, adopted by global OEMs as standard equipment and in use with the Israel Defense Forces |
| Silent-watch and signature12 | Low noise and low thermal signature stated as design goals | Silent-watch support through low noise signature | Silent-mode operation reducing noise and thermal signatures |
| Supply conditions and origin12Origin is read from each vendor's own document. The consequence for a buyer is a licensing and end-use question, not a technical one. | Independent, non-aligned origin with in-region sustainment through one accountable team; every transfer under classification and end-use controls | German manufacturer, EU export regime | Israeli manufacturer within Elbit Systems, subject to Israeli export licensing |
Competitor values are quoted from the vendor documents listed under Sources, as published on the date shown. Configurations vary, so treat every row as a starting point for the evaluation rather than a like-for-like test result.
What the table means
On the raw ratings, both incumbents publish clean numbers
VINCORION's data sheet is precise: 8 kW air-cooled at 98 kg, 17 kW liquid-cooled at about 270 kg, both 28 V DC, both on a permanent-magnet flywheel generator, both qualified to MIL-STD-461F, 1275D and 810F. Kinetics states a 2.5 to 17 kW band at 28 V DC, minus 46 C to plus 55 C, 3,000 m altitude, on a two-to-four-cylinder diesel. Any buyer comparing data sheet against data sheet should say so plainly. Where we go further on paper is the output band, 2 kW to 32.5 kW, and the output type, because our units deliver hydraulic and pneumatic power and integrated starter-generator and welding-rectifier variants, not only 28 V DC electrical.
Altitude and output type are the two honest differentiators
A 28 V DC electrical APU covers battery charging and electronics. It does not turn a hydraulic gun-laying drive or a pneumatic system, which is why our line publishes hydraulic and pneumatic output alongside multi-voltage electrical up to 330 VDC. Altitude is the second gap: Kinetics publishes 3,000 m, VINCORION does not state an altitude at all, and our line publishes variants to 5,500 m and an 11 kW dual-voltage unit rated at 16,000 ft for main-battle-tank use. For a customer operating on high plateau, that is not a soft factor.
The unit travels with its approval regime
A German APU carries the EU export regime; an Israeli APU carries Israeli export licensing. Neither shows up in a specification table, and both show up when a ministry wants to fit the unit to a platform it intends to move, arm or keep running through a diplomatic change. Our APUs come from an independent maker represented through a non-aligned channel, sustained in region by one accountable team. Where the incumbents publish more weight and dimension detail than we do today, we say so and put those figures on the request list rather than inventing them.
Questions buyers ask
What is the best alternative to a VINCORION or Kinetics vehicle APU for a buyer who cannot accept EU or Israeli export conditions?
Both are strong, field-proven units: VINCORION publishes 8 and 17 kW at 28 V DC to MIL-STD-461F, and Kinetics publishes a 2.5 to 17 kW band to minus 46 C and 3,000 m. If the obstacle is the export regime rather than the engineering, our auxiliary power line is the comparable option: the same silent-watch role for tanks and combat vehicles, from an independent maker with no major-power approval gate, sustained in region. It also covers a wider output band, 2 kW to 32.5 kW, and adds hydraulic, pneumatic and welding-rectifier variants that a 28 V DC electrical unit does not.
Which vehicle APU works at high altitude?
On published figures, Kinetics states an operating altitude of 3,000 m and VINCORION does not state an altitude at all. Our line publishes variants rated to 5,500 m, including an 11 kW dual-voltage unit rated at 16,000 ft for main-battle-tank application. If your operating theatre is high plateau or mountain, altitude derating is the first thing to interrogate, because a unit rated at sea level loses output as air density falls. Ask every vendor for the altitude at which the quoted power still holds, not just the maximum altitude the unit will start at.
Can a vehicle APU supply hydraulic or pneumatic power, or only electricity?
Most published military APUs are electrical: VINCORION and Kinetics both publish 28 V DC electrical output only. Our line is configured to the platform and can deliver electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic output, with integrated starter-generators and welding-rectifier variants. That matters when the load is a hydraulic laying drive, a pneumatic system or a field workshop rather than radios and sights. If your requirement is purely 28 V DC battery charging, the electrical incumbents cover it; if it is mixed, ask for the output-type breakdown.
How much does a vehicle auxiliary power unit weigh?
VINCORION publishes the clearest figures: about 98 kg for the 8 kW air-cooled unit and about 270 kg for the 17 kW liquid-cooled unit, with full dimensions. Kinetics does not publish weight in its general-specifications table, and we do not publish per-unit weight on the site today either, stating instead a high volume-to-power ratio and minimum weight as design goals. Weight and envelope drive the integration study, so treat any missing figure as a written question rather than an assumption.
What military standards should a vehicle APU meet?
The core three for a vehicle-integrated unit are EMI control, vehicle power quality and environmental durability. VINCORION publishes MIL-STD-461F for EMI, MIL-STD-1275D for 28 V vehicle power and MIL-STD-810F for environment. Our line publishes MIL-STD-461 across C, E, F and G revisions, MIL-STD-1275, MIL-STD-704F and JSS 55555. Kinetics states rigorous military standards without citing the numbers. When two units both claim MIL-STD-461, ask which revision and which sub-tests, because that is where the real qualification cost sits.
Which vehicle APU has the widest output range?
On published bands, our line at 2 kW to 32.5 kW is the widest, against Kinetics at 2.5 to 17 kW and VINCORION's two published ratings of 8 and 17 kW. Range only matters if your fleet is mixed: a light reconnaissance vehicle and a main battle tank do not want the same APU, and a single supplier that covers both simplifies training and spares. If your requirement is a single power point, the narrower incumbent ranges are perfectly adequate and the decision moves to weight, altitude and supply terms.
Sources
- 1. VINCORION (Jenoptik), VINCORION Auxiliary Power Units: Continuous, Secure Power for Military Vehicles (data sheet) (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · Technical specification table for the 8 kW and 17 kW auxiliary power units, both 28 V DC.
- 2. Elbit Systems - Kinetics, Kinetics Auxiliary Power Units and Life Support Systems (brochure) (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · General specifications table for the Kinetics APU range: 2.5 to 17 kW at 28 V DC.