The Integrated Deepwater System project is under way, and will change the face of Coast Guard aviation as it introduces new systems—such as CASA twin-engine maritime patrol aircraft—and upgrades legacy aircraft.
One year ago, during the ceremony marking the contract award for the Integrated Deepwater System (IDS), Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thomas H. Collins described the critical need to upgrade and modernize the service's force of cutters, aerial platforms, and support systems. "As the leader in maritime homeland security," Admiral Collins said, "the Coast Guard must have the most capable ships, aircraft, and command-and-control technology available to protect our nation and carry out our many missions."
During the months that have elapsed since the Deepwater contract was awarded to Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS)—a joint venture between Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin—the plan to implement the transformation of Coast Guard aviation has been set in motion. It provides for the progressive upgrading of selected legacy assets and the introduction of new and more capable fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), leading to a new look for Coast Guard aviation.
Most important, the transformation of Coast Guard aviation assets is aimed at creating major improvements to system-level operational effectiveness at an affordable cost. Given the Coast Guard's operational tempo since the attacks of 11 September 2001—and the overall material condition of all aircraft—the need to transform its aviation assets has never been more compelling.
The IDS Aviation Solution
The Coast Guard's aging force of legacy aerial assets faces increased operational demands, spiraling maintenance costs, and less than optimum operational effectiveness in a number of areas. These trends are especially worrisome in light of the operational requirements associated with today's high-priority homeland security, national defense, and search-and-rescue missions.
Fortunately, a much-needed infusion of additional funding for operations and maintenance during the past two years has restored the readiness rates for all aircraft systems to stable levels. Upgrades to aircraft sensors have improved operational capabilities in a number of areas, but shortfalls still exist in fielding secure, fully interoperable communications and data-exchange systems.
The Coast Guard's aviation units accumulate flying hours on airframes, aircraft engines, and components more quickly than their counterparts in sister services. These hours accelerate the impact of wear and tear, raise safety-of-flight issues in some areas, and require the replacement of "high-time" components more frequently.
The average age of the Coast Guard's fixed-wing inventory is 20 years, and its rotary-wing fleet averages 16 years for the HH-65 Dolphin and 11 years for the HH-60 Jayhawk. Since 1993, the Coast Guard's maintenance-support budget grew at just 2% per year at a time when its documented operating and maintenance costs rose by 7-11% per year.
Despite these challenges, Coast Guard aviation properly takes pride in its impressive record of mission accomplishment. Mindful of the cold facts associated with its aging legacy platforms—and their block obsolescence by the end of this decade—Deepwater's system-of-systems approach for recapitalization was the only feasible and affordable option to sustain the Coast Guard's aviation excellence well into the 21st century.
The principal elements of the Deepwater aviation plan include:
- Provide common command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment and systems across all aviation assets to field an interoperable and networked force
- Follow Deepwater's system-of-systems acquisition strategy to maximize the effectiveness of the entire system
- Provide world-class, "state-of-the-market" capabilities, products, and services with an emphasis on quality, safety, performance, and customer satisfaction
- Introduce upgraded and new assets (a mix of fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs) early
- Smoothly transition to new assets while maintaining the operational capability, safety, and supportability of legacy platforms
- Perform as a highly integrated, productive team, marked by open communication, shared risk, mutual objectives, and measurable results
Over the next 18 years, Deepwater's mix of upgraded legacy assets and new aerial platforms will be phased into operational service. All aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs will be outfitted with improved radars and sensors for night and all-weather operations. Interoperable communication and data-exchange systems also will be incorporated to improve the capabilities needed for joint, multiagency operations and the development of maritime domain awareness and a common operating picture.
Legacy aviation assets that are expensive to operate and maintain—such as the HU-25 Guardian medium-range search-and-rescue turbojet—will begin retire in 2005 and will be fully retired by 2013. Today's force of 23 HC-130H search-and-surveillance aircraft will be reduced, but the remaining aircraft will be upgraded with improved command-and-control capabilities to ensure full interoperability with other IDS platforms.
Delivery of two stock airframes for the CASA CN235-300M maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) is scheduled for early 2006. Under current planning, the new twin-engine aircraft will begin to enter service by mid-decade. The craft will be designed to perform its maritime air patrol mission through the incorporation of a palletized and fully integrated tactical system and state-of-the-market radar and sensors.
Deepwater's aviation plan also calls for the Coast Guard to introduce its first UAVs into the inventory by mid-decade. In February, Bell Helicopter was awarded a contract to commence concept and preliminary design work on its Eagle Eye vertical takeoff-and-landing unmanned aerial vehicle (VUAV).
VUAVs will be deployed on board new-construction offshore patrol cutters and national security cutters as well as on Bear (WMEC-901)-class medium-endurance legacy cutters. The VUAVs initial operational capability, projected for 2006, is timed for the delivery of the first national security cutter. Up to four Eagle Eyes can be deployed, or two may deploy jointly when a helicopter is embarked.
With a planned endurance of 6.2 hours and a dash airspeed of 220 knots, the Eagle Eye will improve detection, surveillance, and monitoring capabilities, enhancing the process of classifying and identifying targets of interest. The Marine Corps recently expressed an interest in incorporating the Eagle Eye into its UAV inventory, creating the possibility of joint cooperation.
Progressive Upgrades and Modernization
Legacy HH-65A helicopters will have improved landing gear installed, the mission-computer unit replaced, and radar, engines, transmission, fuel, and avionics systems upgraded. Beginning in 2007 and extending to 2013, current plans call for all upgraded HH-65 multi-mission cutter helicopters (MCHs) to enter service. This upgrade will increase the HH-65's maximum takeoff weight to 9,500 pounds, range to 420 nautical miles, and endurance to 3.5 hours. Nearly all of the fleet's workhorse HH-60J helicopters also will be upgraded with improved radar, sensors, and new avionics.
The Bell-Augusta Aerospace AB-139 VTOL Recovery and Surveillance (VRS) helicopter will replace the HH-60J Jayhawk when the last is retired in 2022. This state-of-the-art, medium-range, twin-engine helicopter was designed to meet the unique demands of high-risk operating environments. Delivery is planned between 2014 and 2022.
Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawks will complete Deepwater's solution for aviation assets. The Global Hawk, a high-altitude, long-endurance UAV, will provide operational commanders with high-resolution, near real-time imagery of large geographic areas. Its advanced technology sensors, a 1,900-pound reconfigurable payload bay, and the ability to remain in flight for long periods will provide commanders with important new capabilities to obtain the intelligence needed to achieve information dominance in the ever-changing maritime domain.
Global Hawk's 12,500-nautical-mile range and 38-hour endurance, combined with satellite and line-of-sight communication links to other air and surface platforms and operation centers ashore, will permit wide-area surveillance and monitoring operations. High-resolution sensors that can look through adverse weather at day or night from an altitude of 65,000 feet can conduct surveillance over an area roughly the size of Illinois in just 24 hours.
UAVs will deliver an estimated 90,000 flight hours over the life of the program. It is estimated that the total aviation solution of manned and unmanned platforms will deliver approximately 80% more flight hours than the current legacy system.
The Challenge of Transformation
The Coast Guard's aviation community will experience some cultural changes as older aircraft are phased out and new platforms come online. The reality of acquisitions costs presented Integrated Coast Guard Systems with some difficult choices in balancing acceptable platform alternatives with cost objectives.
For example, in deciding to transition to the twin-engine turboprop HC-235 maritime patrol aircraft, it was necessary to trade some of the advantages of the larger, longer-range, more capable (and more expensive) C-130 aircraft. From a Deepwater perspective, the HC-235 (with its improved surveillance capabilities), when combined with smaller numbers of HC-130s, will meet system-wide performance requirements adequately while reducing total ownership costs.
The Deepwater's system-of-systems approach to acquisition is new for a service long accustomed to optimizing the capabilities of its individual assets in platform-for-platform replacement programs. Challenges will be encountered along the way, but Deepwater will transform Coast Guard aviation in new and exciting ways, sustaining a tradition of operational excellence.
Commander Alam is the aviation program manager for the Integrated Deepwater System (IDS). Charles Green is the aviation program manager for Integrated Coast Guard Systems, the IDS system integrator.