Maritime Security Equipment BCB Maritime Security Equipment

Introduction to BCB BCB International LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of BCB International Ltd, a UK family owned company that has extensive experience in developing innovative new products. BCB was founded in 1914 and has a long and enviable history in New Product Development for specialist military units having worked with the British SF since WW2. The latest evidence of this is our recently granted US Patent, number 8533863, for the PUG (protective under garment) now standard issue in the US military. BCB has an in-house team of designers and engineers who work closely with Industry experts, academia and research organizations to access the latest technologies and manufacturing techniques.

Introduction to Pneumatic Launchers The pneumatic launcher was originally developed as a method of entry device, MOE, wherein a 5 gallon water bottle is used to deliver kinetic energy to a wall or other barrier. Causing a breach without the use of explosives, thereby reducing the risk to hostages and operatives. It does not project blast or debris either side of the barrier being breached keeping both operatives and potential hostages safe.

How it works The pressure vessel is charged from a compressed air supply, this could be a compressor or a commercial dive tank. The unit is triggered by venting a small amount of air from behind the valve. This causes the poppet valve to move backwards, releasing the stored air and driving the projectile down the barrel. The system can be recharged immediately after discharge.

Boat Stopping Development BCB has been developing boat stopping capabilities for 5 years. Initially working on entanglement systems. Entanglement systems either have to be large and therefore difficult to deploy or have poor success rates, especially in higher sea states, so BCB has developed an arrestor wire concept that uses a floating line with braking drogues on either end. This system has been found to be 100% effective against most common boat configurations. Refinement of the current system has been carried out in collaboration with the Royal Navy and UK Ministry Of Defence Police protecting high value Naval assets in Scotland. Alternative munitions are currently in development to stop impellor propelled craft and large ships.

Line arrestor system The arrestor line system is simple and effective. It consists of a floating UHMWPE ( Dyneema or Spectra ) line with sea anchors at both ends. The line and one sea anchor is launched in a streamlined container. At the end of the flight phase the sea anchor is ejected by inertia. The floating line snags the stern gear of a boat, the sea anchors at either end inflate and create enough drag to slow the boat to walking pace in seconds. During rigorous and extensive trials and development, the arrestor line system proved capable of bringing a twin 250hp engine 28 foot RHIB traveling at 40 knots to a speed of less than 4 knots within a matter of yards. 

Scalable The family of pneumatic launchers is highly scalable. The current range: Barracuda, a close-range hand-held launcher, Buccaneer, medium sized boat mounted interception model Sea Stinger, large launcher for mounting on fixed installations or capital ships capable of launching a line out to 300 yards or a heavier net system 100 yards enabling the user to quickly close a dock, river or harbor.

Barracuda A handheld device capable of launching a 40 yard arrestor line and two 3’ sea anchors. Ideal for close-in interception. Can be fired from a sitting position. Works in a variety of sea states. Low pressure ( 150psi ) and small diameter of pressure vessel avoid complications of pressure vessel regulations. Integral gas recharge bottle gives ability to reload and launch a second round quickly.

Buccaneer A boat mounted mid-size launcher with the ability to launch a 5/16th” Dyneema line and two 4’ sea anchors 100 yards giving excellent stand off from hostile targets. 7 liter pressure vessel operating at up to 600 psi produces 21,600 joules of energy.

Sea Stinger Currently the largest production member of the pneumatic launcher family. Suitable for deck or dock mounting. Able to project a light weight barrier 300 yards and heavy entanglement nets to 100 yards Suitable for closing choke points on docks and port entrances. 15 liter pressure vessel capacity rated to 1000 psi.

Perpendicular line projection BCB has developed a unique capability by mounting two barrels on a common manifold in a V configuration so that the launcher can fire two projectiles at once, thus enabling a line to be projected perpendicular to the firing point. This is effective in a head-on encounter scenario where a line can be laid down in front of the target, for protecting an asset against an incoming threat or laying down a barrier behind the launching vessel.

BCB long range boat stopping Munition The floating line can be made highly visible to present a distinct boundary beyond which ill intent can be determined and higher levels of force employed. Effective stopping distance The existing line and drogue munition brings the target vessel to a crawl in less than 0.8 of its length i.e. a 100 yard long arresting line will slow a boat to a crawl in 80 yards. To achieve an effective cordon of 500 yards, using overlapping 100 yard long munitions, the lines will need to be deployed out to 580 yards.  

BCB long range boat stopping   Deployment method It would not be practical to use pneumatic launchers for this, however rocket deployed lines are well know ( such as the Python mine clearance device ) and this would be our preferred deployment means. Number of munitions needed To cover the perimeter of a 580 yard cordon around a 1,000 ft long ship would take 40 100 yard long floating lines. These would be similar to the grenade launchers fitted to armoured vehicles. They could obviously be launched zonally rather than a complete perimeter. eg. Four launchers of 10 munitions each.  

Tactics