Navy chooses DC-DC converters from Vicor for G-BOSS perimeter security upgrade

April 10, 2013
CRANE, Ind., 10 April 2013. U.S. Navy surveillance experts needed DC-DC converters for an upgrade to the U.S. Marine Corps Ground-Based Operational Surveillance System (G-BOSS). They found their solution from Vicor Corp. in Andover, Mass.

CRANE, Ind., 10 April 2013. U.S. Navy surveillance experts needed DC-DC converters for an upgrade to the U.S. Marine Corps Ground-Based Operational Surveillance System (G-BOSS). They found their solution from Vicor Corp. in Andover, Mass.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division in Crane, Ind., awarded Vicor a $407,525 contract earlier this month to provide DC-DC converter power supplies for the G-Boss Upgrade Kit.

Vicor will provide 24-volt DC power electronics devices with 48-, 12-, and 9-volt DC outputs, 24-volt DC converters with 19.5-, 12-, and 48-volt DC outputs, as well as input mating connector kits for the G-BOSS upgrades.

G-BOSS is a self-erecting, trailer-mounted tower that provides a stable, elevated platform for sensors and communications to provide beyond-the-fence surveillance for Marine Corps installations. The system is deployed in the Middle East and other locations for perimeter security.

Each G-BOSS tower can operate independently and has a 107-foot or 80-foot tower; a multi-spectral electro-optic/infrared sensor suite composed of a FLIR Systems Star SAFIRE IIIFP camera with a laser pointer and range finder; a ThermoVision 3000 camera with a global Positioning System (GPS); a man-portable surveillance and target acquisition radar (MSTAR); and a Ground Control Station (GCS) with optional Remote Ground Station (RGS).

G-BOSS can integrate signals from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using the VideoScout video management system and from the tactical remote sensor suite unattended ground sensors. G-BOSS typically is deployed at Marine Corps forward operating bases, command outposts, battle positions, and entry control points.

For more information contact Vicor Corp. online at www.vicorpower.com, or NSWC Crane at www.navsea.navy.mil/nswc/crane.

About the Author

John Keller | Editor

John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.

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