Industry News

EADS Delivers Sixth Maritime Patrol Aircraft HC-144A

U.S. Coast Guard receives sixth HC-144A Maritime Patrol Aircraft out of 36 aircrafts for the Deepwater Program. The HC-144A is the mediumrange surveillance maritime patrol aircraft platform for the U.S. Coast Guard.

The CN-235 was selected by the United States Coast Guard for its Medium Range Surveillance Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MRSMPA) program as the HC-144A with minor modifications. The first HC-144A was delivered by EADS CASA to Lockheed Martin for installation of the mission package in December 2006.[The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-turbo-prop aircraft developed jointly between CASA in Spain and IPTN in Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. Amongst its military roles are maritime patrol, surveillance and troop transport. The biggest user of this transport aircraft is Turkey. The Turkish air force operates 52 CN-235-100M, and the Coast Guard and Navy operates 9 CN-235MP aircraft.

The Integrated Deepwater System Program (IDS Program or Deepwater) is the 25-year program to recapitalize the United States Coast Guard’s equipment, including aircraft, ships, and logistics and command and control systems. The $24 billion program includes equipment that will be used across all missions. When the program is complete, the interoperable system will include new cutters and small boats, a new fleet of fixed-wing aircraft, a combination of new and upgraded helicopters, and land- and cutter-based unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). All of these assets will be linked with Command, Control, Communications and Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. Performance Based Logistics is also an aspect of the contract.

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