L-3 awarded USCG Minotaur option
L-3 Communications Integrated Systems will carry out work to missionise the US Coast Guard’s 11th HC-130J Super Hercules aircraft under a $14.6 million option announced in December.
The aircraft will be equipped with Minotaur mission system software and integrated radar, sensor and communications systems. This Minotaur package has been designed to meet the coast guard’s requirements for the HC-130J Super Hercules long range surveillance aircraft.
The Minotaur mission system is replacing the legacy system currently in use on six of the coast guard’s HC-130J aircraft. The seventh of fleet has been retrofitted with the Minotaur mission system to become the Minotaur prototype and is currently undergoing continued testing. Another aircraft entered the Minotaur integration process in December 2016.
The first aircraft to receive Minotaur as its baseline configuration was CGNR 2009 in April 2016. This aircraft will be used to validate changes made to the Minotaur prototype.
The 10th aircraft is currently in production and scheduled for delivery in its baseline configuration in early 2017, after which it will undergo Minotaur missionization.
The 11th aircraft – the subject of this latest option – is currently in production. It is scheduled for delivery in its baseline configuration in early 2017, after which it will also undergo Minotaur missionization.
The 12th and 13th aircraft are under contract and are scheduled for delivery in their baseline configuration in 2019.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Five years on: where could opportunities emerge next for AUKUS Pillar II?]()
Five years on: where could opportunities emerge next for AUKUS Pillar II?
Payload commonality, combat systems and electronic warfare are emerging as likely priorities as the trilateral partnership balances building submarines with sharing industrial ecosystems.
-
![From the Baltic to the Gulf: where USV procurement is heading next]()
From the Baltic to the Gulf: where USV procurement is heading next
Saildrone’s new Copenhagen base is one sign of a larger shift, as navies globally turn to uncrewed vessels for surveillance and mine clearance.
-
![Quantum sensing gathers pace as navies eye undersea advantage]()
Quantum sensing gathers pace as navies eye undersea advantage
As AI dominates defence conversations, industry increasingly points to quantum sensing as the technology set to change submarine and uncrewed underwater vehicle operations.
-
![Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement]()
Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement
The Indian Navy's P17B programme is expected to combine greater weapons capacity with a competitive domestic construction model, although key systems could remain dependent on international supply chains.
