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Mission Expansion Looms for Deepwater's Aviation Element
The U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater modernization program is slated to reach several key milestones with its aviation elements in the coming months, but perhaps more importantly several decisions loom on whether to significantly enhance the airborne component.
Government requirements officials recently gave provisional approval for so-called organic air transport, essentially a C-130-type aircraft. The Deepwater team is now performing a systems-of-systems analysis to determine the right fleet mix of the C-130 and the EADS CASA CN-235-300, the baseline maritime patrol aircraft for the Coast Guard, says Dale Bennett, president of the Integrated Coast Guard Systems team led by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
The Coast Guard has purchased two CN-235s already and may buy one more later this year. The program was slated to expand considerably beyond that, and is still likely to grow, but by how much is uncertain. Preliminary design review for the aircraft is slated for November, to be followed by critical design review in April 2005 and an in-service date of mid-2007.
The Coast Guard also is evaluating what its role should be in air interdiction, both from a surveillance and interceptor role. The requirement has emerged as the U.S. government realizes many of the military systems it would use in such homeland security roles as assigned oversees.
Resolution of the interdiction and transport issues should come later this year, Bennett suggested.
Also later this year, the Coast Guard hopes to complete the first flight of the re-engined HH-65 helicopter. The program was accelerated because of operational problems. The first HH-64 with the Turbomecca Arial 2C2 would be delivered in September.
Moreover, critical design review ensues for the V-911 Eagle Eye tiltrotor UAV, which is also to fly later this year. The Bell Helicopter textron system would be integrated on the National Security Cutter in 2006. Lt. Cdr. Troy Beshears dismisses concerns about the Eagle Eye because of its similarities to the V-22, which has had development problems. He notes that Eagle Eye is a much simpler system. In fact, he quips, Bell might have been better off building the UAV before the Marine transport.
Not all platforms are secure in the long-term Deepwater plan. For instance,
as helicopter requirements change, the Bell Agusta AB-139 could
lose its spot as a preferred platform, he suggested. The helicopter
procurement decision is still many years away, though, so no decision
is imminent.
—Robert Wall
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