SPOTLIGHT: Brashear LP

By GORDON I. PETERSON
Senior Editor

Sea Power: Ms. Rucker, Brashear describes its performance in terms of "pushing the limits" of optical-systems technology. Would you please elaborate?

Rucker: Brashear is pushing the limits in the directed-energy field by the design and manufacture of high-energy laser-beam directors for a broad spectrum of development programs--from long-range missile defense, such as the Air Force Airborne Laser, to defense against short-range rockets such as the U.S. Army Tactical High Energy Laser, and everything else in between. With naval applications and [gunnery and missile-test] ranges, the open architecture of our shipboard fire control product line allows us to push the limits of available sensor technology for our customers. They're able to upgrade their fire control systems easily with state-of-the-art sensors as they are developed. We also have integrated several generations of laser rangefinders and thermal imagers into our systems since our first Lightweight Shipboard Electro-Optical Fire Control and Surveillance System [LSEOS] was built in the late 1980s.

Environmental factors associated with the open ocean present very complex challenges in the design and engineering of highly precise electro-optical [EO] fire control systems. How did you surmount them in the development of the Brashear LSEOS?

Despite years of building precision-pointing systems for the harsh environment of military test ranges, we encountered some unique hurdles in sealing moving components, surface treatments, and electromagnetic impulses in the naval environment. There are some real challenges associated with the integration of EO systems at sea. Fortunately, our early work developing optical-system positioners for the U.S. Coast Guard gave us the experience that became the foundation for much of our current work. After fielding those systems in the 1980s we were responsible for refurbishing them 10 years later. We took that opportunity to tear them down and really see the effects of a decade's operations at sea. As a result of this effort, we made design changes to improve the systems durability against corrosion and water intrusion. Our systems today take advantage of this experience.

The U.S. Navy's Phalanx Close-In Weapon System [CWIS], manufactured by Raytheon, has bee64Sn in service for some years. How does the incorporation of Brashear's LSEOS Mk IV upgrades improve its performance?

The Phalanx Block 1B upgrade incorporates several enhancements including a stabilized thermal imager for target tracking and engagement. The LSEOS Mk IV upgrade kit gives the weapon system the ultimate capability for ship self-defense against asymmetric threats, and the use of an EO targeting system allows for better situational awareness and target recognition--especially when potential targets are small civil-type craft.
Watching Phalanx firing at 4,500 rounds per minute to destroy an incoming missile is breathtaking. Knowing that we're part of the team that helps to increase the accuracy and reliability of this Navy weapon system is extremely satisfying. The program is a result of the collaboration between the teams at Raytheon Missile Systems Company and Brashear LP in producing high-precision naval fire control systems. We have just started our fourth production batch for the program and consider it a very important element of our Range and Naval Systems business. This type of program taps into the unique skills of our manufacturing team.

The Coast Guard's recent award of a contract for its Integrated Deepwater System program offers many long-range opportunities for the design of new systems suitable for the recapitalization of its inventory of patrol boats, cutters, aircraft, and information systems over the next 20 years. Is this an area of interest for Brashear?

The Deepwater Program is very much an area of interest to Brashear, and we have several products which offer low-cost proven solutions to Deepwater needs. We expect to be a player in the program.

Brashear also has applied advanced technologies to improve first-hit accuracy for small-arms weapons. How does the performance of your fire control systems compare with a soldier's or Marine's typical reliance on open sights and the "Mark 1 eyeball"?
I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical of the value of fire control when Brashear started to design the Army's first crew-served weapon fire control system in 1991. My experience since then has definitely convinced me of the advantages these systems afford our warfighters. Government testing in the early 1990s revealed that a trained gunner's probability of hitting a target with his first burst using the "Mark1 eyeball" at a range of 1,000 meters is about 3 percent. Government testing of the same weapon with Brashear's Small Arms Fire Control System [SAFCS] resulted in a 54 percent probability for a first-burst hit.

This unrivaled first-hit accuracy provided a tremendous opportunity in reducing carried ammunition, while increasing the element of surprise and increased soldier survivability, particularly for rapid-fire, crew-served weapons like the General Dynamics [GD] Mk19, Mk47, and GAU 19. We are currently developing the fire control system for the Objective Individual Combat Weapon. It includes an airburst capability with burst range set by the fire control system. I think this air-burst capability could provide a huge advantage to existing weapons like the Mk19 when used in conjunction with a fire control system. The Navy is currently evaluating a bursting 40mm round for use with the GD Mk47 "Striker" advanced lightweight grenade launcher.

What makes Brashear unique as a company?

The breadth of our electro-optical system integration capability, coupled with a "lean company" mentality, makes us very attractive to our customers. Whether they are looking for high-precision satellite tracking telescopes, high-energy laser-beam directors, or low-cost fire control systems, they can come to us for design and production. This combination of design-and-manufacturing capability, for relatively unique products, sets us apart from other companies. *