BACKGROUND

Brite Star Block II is a long-range multisensor targeting and target designation system for the Marine Corps’ UH-1N “Huey” multipurpose helicopter and the Navy’s Fire Scout, an unmanned helicopter being developed to operate from the future Littoral Combat Ship. A derivative of FLIR’s Brite Star and Star SAFIRE targeting systems, the Block II version provides high-resolution color and monochrome signals, and has a high-power laser pointer.

SCOPE

The Naval Air Systems Command is expected to order approximately 100 systems for the “Huey” fleet, and Northrop Grumman, prime contractor for the Fire Scout, will require about 60 units. Currently, the total value of the Block II program to FLIR Systems, Wilsonville, Ore., is $150 million. South Africa’s Denel Optronics is a major subcontractor.

TIMELINE

Initial test flights have been conducted. Further testing is planned in June and July. First deliveries are anticipated in early summer. Fully equipping the “Huey” and Fire Scout fleets will require about five years.

WHO’S IN CHARGE

Kevin Tucker, vice president of program and product management, has been a FLIR executive since 1995, with responsibility for a wide array of the company’s production and developmental products.

“This is an evolved product. We have more than 10 years of program experience, and this is the third product spiral within that timeframe. This enables us to fold reliability and producibility improvements into the Block II, while expanding its capabilities. For example, it spins all the way around; there are no end stops to the rotations. And the laser is operable with no duty-cycle limitations, so the operator never has a timeout period after he’s been designating for a while. He doesn’t have to stop and let the system cool down, for example. That’s really important when you’re in the middle of an operation.

The Block II has a high-resolution three-chip color TV. The operators get both the color discrimination and monochrome, which works better at long range. It also has an embedded navigation system so the payload “knows” where it is relative to the earth, which enables you to point and locate targets with very high accuracy.

The Marines are using earlier versions of Brite Star in Iraq. They will be able to return those systems, and we’ll pretty much unscrew the covers, pull the payload out, put a new payload in, replace the cover and they’ll have a Block II system.

All the development of this product has been done at FLIR Systems’ expense. The only way we recover that investment is by successfully bringing this thing to market and producing it efficiently. Right now, one of our biggest issues is that the operational forces are pushing to get more and more stuff. That’s a great problem to have.”