The Coast Guard said this week that it has taken delivery of an HC-130J maritime surveillance aircraft that has been retrofitted with an integrated mission systems suite that includes new capabilities.
The Super Hercules long-range surveillance aircraft is equipped with the Minotaur mission system, and is the first in the Coast Guard’s fleet with a multifunction display unit designed by the service to control mission system radios, better interact with the Minotaur software, eliminate technical issues and reduce obsolescence cost, the Coast Guard said. Design of the multifunction display included help from the Navy and Johns Hopkins Univ.
The Minotaur system was developed by the Navy and allows for the integration of new sensors aboard aircraft. L3 Technologies [LLL] is integrating the Minotaur system on the Coast Guard’s Lockheed Martin [LMT]-built HC-130Js.
The service plans to equip all of its fixed-wing surveillance aircraft with the Minotaur system. So far, seven HC-130Js have completed the Minotaur missionization process, a Coast Guard spokeswoman told Defense Daily.
The Coast Guard has 15 HC-130Js in operational use or production and is building to a fleet of 22 HC-130Js. The Coast Guard’s HC-144 and C-27J medium-range surveillance aircraft are also being outfitted with the Minotaur system.
In addition to integrating imagery and data from multiple sensors aboard a platform, the information can be transmitted to other platforms and units.