SOCOM picks weapon-mounted laser illuminator and pointer for night operations in electro-optical warfare
MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – U.S. special forces experts needed a rugged weapon-mounted laser pointer and illuminator system for military night operations. They found their solution from B.E. Meyers & Co. Inc. in Redmond, Wash.
Officials of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., announced sa $49.9 million contract to B.E. Meyers in August for the Squad Aiming Laser–Ultra High Power (SAL-UHP) program.
The weapon-mounted laser pointer and illuminator will minimize size and weight while improving performance, reliability, and operability, SOCOM officials say, and will provide beam clarity over an extended zoom range.
The system will include operator controls to deliver appropriate irradiance to the target area at ranges greater than 900 meters, and also to decrease response times to increase lethality in near and mid-range engagements.
Related: Navy chooses laser designators with infrared illumination from B.E. Meyers for boat crews
B.E. Meyers will design the system to survive immersion, recoil, and thermal shock, while maintaining zero position stability. The SAL-UHP is to meet MIL-STD-810H.
The SAL-UHP, part of the Miniature Aiming Systems – Laser (MAS-L) contract, will be a variant of the B.E. Meyers DAGIR Multi-Platform Advanced Laser System, and is to be based on a vertical-cavity, surface emitting laser (VCSEL) core for military night operations.
The DAGIR Multi-Platform Advanced Laser System is a weapon-mountable near-infrared illuminator and near-infrared plus visible aiming device incorporating advanced VCSEL technology that enables manipulation of the system.
The DAGIR series combines minimal size and weight while improving performance, reliability, and operability, and is for applications that range from close-range carbine use to high-power extended-range machine gun applications, as well as integration with remote weapon stations.
The power and divergence controls on the DAGIR are digital; there is no optical or mechanical movement within the system apart from azimuth and elevation boresight controls. Divergence and power are synchronized for best pointing and illumination. DAGIR also can operate in training mode, or selectable power levels.
On this contract B.E. Meyers will have an ordering period of five years. For more information contact B.E. Meyers online at https://bemeyers.com, or U.S. Special Operations Command at www.socom.mil.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
