USCG receives Minotaur missionised HC-130J
The US Coast Guard (USCG) has received a HC-130J Super Hercules long range surveillance aircraft equipped with the Minotaur mission system suite at Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
The aircraft, CGNR 2006, is the first in the service’s fleet that includes a multi-function control display unit specifically designed by the coast guard – with support from the US Navy and Johns Hopkins University – to control mission system radios, better interact with the Minotaur software, eliminate technical issues and reduce obsolescence cost.
Minotaur integrates imagery and data from multiple aircraft sensor streams, allowing operators to track targets and transmit information to other platforms and units.
The USCG currently has 15 HC-130J aircraft in either operational use or active production. In addition to continued Minotaur missionisation efforts on new aircraft, the USCG also plans to do a block upgrade for all its HC-130J aircraft.
L3 Technologies is incorporating Minotaur into both new and existing coast guard HC-130J aircraft under a five-year contract.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US Navy’s MUSV programme could lay the USV procurement blueprint for NATO allies]()
US Navy’s MUSV programme could lay the USV procurement blueprint for NATO allies
The programme’s structure as a marketplace will allow multiple companies to compete for ongoing procurements; an approach which could be replicated across the Atlantic.
-
![UK Defence Investment Plan: What does it mean for the country’s naval forces?]()
UK Defence Investment Plan: What does it mean for the country’s naval forces?
Investment in nuclear submarines, autonomous systems and stronger defensive capabilities for existing vessels show a clear strategic shift in Royal Navy priorities.
-
![UK Royal Navy shifts focus from warships to system-led warfare]()
UK Royal Navy shifts focus from warships to system-led warfare
With a revised Defence Investment Plan on the way ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit on 7-8 July, the UK government has begun to reveal more details of how its future naval fleet could look.
-
![UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition]()
UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition
The UK shipbuilder’s full-year results to the end of March revealed the impact of the £140 million charge linked to design changes and rework on the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate programme.
