L3Harris Technologies announced a $29 million contract to provide smart weapon release systems to three allied military forces in the Middle East and North Africa regions, enabling pilots to double the number of smart munitions their F-16s can carry. The Bomb Release Unit (BRU)-57/A allows F-16s in the air defense forces of Bahrain, Jordan and Morocco to carry two smart weapons on each system instead of one, doubling munitions capacity. It is compatible with 500-pound and 1,000-pound guided weapons. BRU-57/A is a combat-proven system used extensively by a growing number of air forces worldwide.
“Our release systems provide extra offensive capabilities while giving commanders the versatility to deploy the right firepower for every mission,” said Ed Zoiss, President, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “These combat-proven systems provide munitions overmatch and allows mission commanders to send the right weapon at the right time to the right target.”
The system incorporates two BRU-46 pyrotechnic racks and doubles the number of smart weapons that can be carried by a single station. Tailorable to mission requirements, the release systems provide ground crews the flexibility to add or remove smart weapons capabilities on F-16s. Adding two additional smart munitions on each F-16 mean commanders can reduce the number of aircraft on a strike mission and provide more time on station with fewer returns to base for rearming. The contract includes an initial lot of 105 release systems. The systems started service for U.S., allied and partner air forces in 1999, with more than 1,100 ordered to date.
L3Harris develops pyrotechnic multiple carriage systems that offer a miniature munition store interface (MMSI) and are also Universal Armament Interface (UAI) Type I and UAI Type II compliant for tactical strike aircraft such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers’ mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $18 billion in annual revenue and 48,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries.
