It looks that there are two generations of this ELT classic AFN and new (half sized) AFN2:
More than half sized!
Less than half the weight and less than half the batteries needed to power it.
So both units have a 50 hour operating time and a ten year battery life and yet both generate the same 150mW/5W RF output. If the new unit (the 406AFN2) is doing this using only two cells instead of five, then either the circuit losses in the new ELT are more than halved or the battery chemistry in the AFN2 is producing more than twice as much power!
Do we know that the new unit is also using Lithium-Manganese chemistry or are we just assuming it?
Could this fire have been caused by a trapped wire AND a damaged battery with a much higher energy density than its predecessor? We keep hearing that 6000 of these units have been used without incident but how many of the Mark 2 version are in service?
This may not be solely a 787 thing, it may be a problem with the new version of the beacon.
