BRU-55A/A – smart twin store carrier
The L3Harris BRU-55/A smart rack doubles the number of MIL-STD-1760 smart weapons that can be carried on tactical strike aircraft such as the F/A-18 C-F. This is accomplished with no modification to aircraft wiring. The electronic control assembly installed within the nose and tail fairings of the F/A-18’s canted vertical ejector rack (CVER) provides a class II 1760 interface to the aircraft and one 1760 class II interface to each of the two weapons carried on the CVER.
Digital communications to the weapons on the BRU-55/A are passively coupled to the aircraft MIL-STD-1553 data bus thereby minimizing updates to the aircraft operational flight program (OFP).
BRU-57 – smart multiple carriage rack
The L3Harris BRU-57/A smart multiple carriage rack increases the stores carriage capacity of the aircraft while improving pilot and ground crew safety and efficiency.
BRU-57/A is a combat-proven system used extensively by a growing number of air forces worldwide. The system incorporates two BRU-46 pyrotechnic racks and doubles the number of smart weapons that can be carried by a single station. It is fielded on the F-16 and will be in use on the Korean KF-X platform.
Compatible with 500-pound and 1000-pound joint direct attack munitions (JDAM), BRU-57/A also supports joint standoff weapons (JSOW). UAI Type I weapons will be included as they become available. BRU-57/A supports various weapons on a single unit and asymmetric loading on the aircraft.
The rack is compatible with the F-16 Block 40 and above – and requires no modification to the aircraft. BRU-57/A’s patented bus buffer system informs the operational flight program, weapon stores manager and pilot of the loaded weapons’ status.
BRU-78 - dual carriage system
The L3Harris BRU-78 doubles the number of stores carried with minimal impact to the aircraft operational flight program and no changes to the aircraft hardware or structure.
L3Harris’ newest generation of smart, multiple weapon carriage systems is designed for use on large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and light attack armed reconnaissance/counterinsurgency (LAAR/COIN) platforms. BRU-78 is designed for weapons that are 500 pounds and smaller using conventional MIL-STD-1760 and UAI communications.
L3Harris-patented electronics are installed in the fairing of the BRU-78 and allow for carriage of a wide array of precision-guided munitions, including the GBU-12/49/59 laser-guided bombs, GBU-38/52/54 joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs) and GBU-39/53 small diameter bombs.
BRU-78’s innovative and patented bus buffer system permits the aircraft to communicate with the carried weapons like they are electrically connected directly to the aircraft main bus. The system uses two L3Harris-designed BRU-71 ejector units as the mechanical interface to the weapons and includes both the MIL-STD-1760 and MMSI umbilicals.
The BRU-78 is currently being qualified for flight on the MQ-9 Reaper. It is qualified to MIL-STD-7743, MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-461/462.
