BMCS Burt Ford
01-04-2007, 05:39 PM
Navy times article.
Deepwater’s first new aircraft makes debut
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Families, civilian employees and Coast Guardsmen queued along the flight line at Air Station Elizabeth City on Dec. 21 to welcome the Coast Guard’s newest aircraft, the CASA CN-235, to the United States.
The maritime patrol aircraft, now referred to as the HC-144A, is the first completely new aviation asset delivered under the service’s troubled Deepwater acquisition program.
It is intended to replace the HU-25 Falcon jet as the service’s medium-range surveillance craft.
The HC-144A ended a four-day trek from its manufacturer in Seville, Spain, with a flawless landing in the eastern North Carolina countryside.
Spectators applauded as the quiet plane, propelled by two General Electric CT7-9C3 engines, came to a halt near a bank of helicopter hangars. Crew members were exhausted but happy to bring the aircraft to its temporary home.
“It was extremely fun,” said pilot Cmdr. Doug Nash, 45, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., after landing. “The airspeed handling capability of this bird is amazing.”
The trip was expected to take three days, with stops in the Cape Verde islands, Brazil, Barbados and Miami, but was delayed because of poor weather.
The minor glitch, however, couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm among Deepwater officials and future crew members for the acquisition.
“This plane looks exactly like what we expected. You’d be amazed at the input the operators had into how it was designed,” said Capt. Matt Sisson, aviation program manager for Deepwater.
The HC-144A is a multimission maritime patrol aircraft designed for search-and-rescue, surveillance and law enforcement operations.
The Coast Guard intends to field 36 HC-144s by 2017. The aircraft will serve as a medium-surveillance, medium-lift platform, with a range of more than 2,300 nautical miles and top speeds of 270 miles per hour, according to the manufacturer.
Currently, the Coast Guard uses the Falcon jet for medium-range surveillance. The Falcon can operate to altitudes of 42,000 feet and flies at 380 knots at 20,000 feet.
It covers a search grid quickly but has little to no carrying capability.
The new aircraft, Deepwater officials say, will return capabilities that were lost when previous medium-range craft, like the HU-16 Albatross and HC-131 Samaritan, were decommissioned, including the transportation of cargo and multiple personnel.
“I’d consider this actually a replacement for the HU-16 Albatross, which we used to call “the Goat,” Sisson said. “This will have multimission capabilities at anytime. It’s got a ramp on the back and will always carry [search-and-rescue] gear.”
EADS CASA, which manufactures the aircraft, signed an $87.4 million contract in 2004 with Deepwater contract partner Lockheed Martin to provide two CN-235 aircraft for the service.
Funding was later added for a third. The second and third aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to the Coast Guard in 2007.
Deepwater’s first new aircraft makes debut
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Families, civilian employees and Coast Guardsmen queued along the flight line at Air Station Elizabeth City on Dec. 21 to welcome the Coast Guard’s newest aircraft, the CASA CN-235, to the United States.
The maritime patrol aircraft, now referred to as the HC-144A, is the first completely new aviation asset delivered under the service’s troubled Deepwater acquisition program.
It is intended to replace the HU-25 Falcon jet as the service’s medium-range surveillance craft.
The HC-144A ended a four-day trek from its manufacturer in Seville, Spain, with a flawless landing in the eastern North Carolina countryside.
Spectators applauded as the quiet plane, propelled by two General Electric CT7-9C3 engines, came to a halt near a bank of helicopter hangars. Crew members were exhausted but happy to bring the aircraft to its temporary home.
“It was extremely fun,” said pilot Cmdr. Doug Nash, 45, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., after landing. “The airspeed handling capability of this bird is amazing.”
The trip was expected to take three days, with stops in the Cape Verde islands, Brazil, Barbados and Miami, but was delayed because of poor weather.
The minor glitch, however, couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm among Deepwater officials and future crew members for the acquisition.
“This plane looks exactly like what we expected. You’d be amazed at the input the operators had into how it was designed,” said Capt. Matt Sisson, aviation program manager for Deepwater.
The HC-144A is a multimission maritime patrol aircraft designed for search-and-rescue, surveillance and law enforcement operations.
The Coast Guard intends to field 36 HC-144s by 2017. The aircraft will serve as a medium-surveillance, medium-lift platform, with a range of more than 2,300 nautical miles and top speeds of 270 miles per hour, according to the manufacturer.
Currently, the Coast Guard uses the Falcon jet for medium-range surveillance. The Falcon can operate to altitudes of 42,000 feet and flies at 380 knots at 20,000 feet.
It covers a search grid quickly but has little to no carrying capability.
The new aircraft, Deepwater officials say, will return capabilities that were lost when previous medium-range craft, like the HU-16 Albatross and HC-131 Samaritan, were decommissioned, including the transportation of cargo and multiple personnel.
“I’d consider this actually a replacement for the HU-16 Albatross, which we used to call “the Goat,” Sisson said. “This will have multimission capabilities at anytime. It’s got a ramp on the back and will always carry [search-and-rescue] gear.”
EADS CASA, which manufactures the aircraft, signed an $87.4 million contract in 2004 with Deepwater contract partner Lockheed Martin to provide two CN-235 aircraft for the service.
Funding was later added for a third. The second and third aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to the Coast Guard in 2007.