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U.S. and allied naval forces continue to expand deployment of the most effective naval defense technology devised, the Phalanx SeaRAM Close-In Weapon System (CIWS). The Phalanx SeaRAM, manufactured by Raytheon Company, incorporates RGB Spectrum’s powerful VIEW™ image processing technology in its fire control operator console.

Phalanx SeaRAM is an integral element of a vessel’s self-defense capability. It is a radar and infrared guided weapons system that provides vessels with “last chance” defense against deadly threats, including rotary and fixed-wing aircraft , anti-ship missiles and surface combatants.

The latest Phalanx SeaRAM upgrades enlarge its keep-out defense range against incoming threats. The enhancement replaces the 20mm gun of the original Phalanx system with an eleven round missile launcher . Phalanx uses advanced radar and computer technology to acquire, identify, track, engage and destroy enemy risks that have penetrated other ship defense systems.

The Phalanx control station provides operators with display of target acquisition, identification, and tracking data. Raytheon needed a solution that would allow the station operator to simultaneously view multiple images from various inputs in real-time on a single monitor. One of the challenges faced in system integration was overcoming the limited space constraints in the existing operator console. RGB Spectrum’s ultra-compact VIEW 7000 integrated ideally into the console and fulfilled the system’s mission-critical display requirements.

Raytheon commissioned RGB Spectrum to provide a multiple input window display processor, the VIEW 7000, for the Phalanx fire control station. The latest upgrade allows ships to engage with surface or airborne targets and enhances the ship's self-defense capabilities against a multitude of threats.

RGB Spectrum’s advanced VIEW 7000 processor combines high resolution computer sources, radar and Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) thermal imager video inputs in real-time. The Phalanx system computer provides the View processor with graphical information comprised of a range table, target acquisition imagery, weapons control and ordnance data, and system status information displaying target searching, tracking, and weapons status. The FLIR integrates multi-spectral thermal detecting and target tracking ability into the system. The VIEW processor combines the various input signals and resizes them to fit the console monitor. Advanced de-interlacing techniques provide excellent vertical resolution and motion characteristics. The VIEW 7000 processor also gives operators the ability to see critical data superimposed over thermal images.

RGB Spectrum’s VIEW processors accept multiple inputs for display on a single screen. Inputs can be video, FLIR, and high resolution RGB signals. Each window can be independently positioned, scaled to any size, overlaid with computer graphics or overlapped with other windows. Additionally, users can pan and zoom within each video image to emphasize a particular area of interest.

More than 900 upgraded Phalanx systems have been deployed worldwide, with installations on all U.S. combatant ships and on those of 25 allied nations. The Phalanx SeaRAM is now onboard the US Navy's newest fighting ships, the Littoral Combat Ships USS Independence (LCS 2) and USS Coronado (LCS 4).