The Coast Guard rescue service plans to buy a modified version of the Navy’s Fire Scout robotic helicopter, which is capable of taking off from and landing on Coast Guard ships. The sea-scanning radar the Coast Guard requested as an addition to the default Fire Scout configuration should greatly extend the search radius of a single rescue ship on active operations to beyond the horizon, an essential requirement. Contractor Northrop Grumman anticipates a radar-equipped Fire Scout will be ready for Coast Guard use next year. The Coast Guard is also exploring the use of Model-B Predators for land-initiated activities. These UAVs, also known as Reapers in the military version, are large turboprop automated planes that are capable of carrying large payloads, including weapons. Customs and Border Patrol departments currently own several of these UAVs (all unarmed) that are used to monitor remote portions of the United States-Mexico border.
Coast Guard adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles is part of a larger plan for upgrading its fleet called Deepwater, which calls for an integrated, fully networked fleet of new water and aircraft designed specifically to meet the many and varied responsibilities of the Coast Guard. In its original form, the plan called for as many as 91 new ships, 35 new airplanes, 34 new helicopters, and 76 new UAVs, as well as significant upgrades to many existing ships and air vehicles. Cost overruns have caused some scaling back, including ones in the area of UAVs. Deepwater initially called for the design and adoption of the new Eagle Eye UAV, designed specifically for Coast Guard use by Bell Helicopter, but the craft was delayed and eventually scrapped last year due to budget overruns.
