![]() ![]() With the Army picking the Bell V-280 Valor to replace their big helicopter fleet, the Coast Guard’s traditional source of proven search-and-rescue helicopters will go away, leaving the Coast Guard in real trouble as their Black Hawk-derived Jayhawk fleet ages out. For decades, the Coast Guard search and rescue mission-set has been built around the ready availability of robust, mature helicopter platforms. But by jumping in and “owning” the maritime variant of the Valor, the Coast Guard can start learning now if the platform can meet the tough day-to-day demands of the Coast Guard’s conventional rotary wing fleet. The Navy and Marine Corps won’t help, as they have already backed the MV-22 Osprey, a first-generation tiltrotor. Without higher-level prompting, Coast Guard aviation, already enmeshed in a tough refit and reconfiguration exercise in the the Coast Guard rotary wing fleet, may not be up to the task. The Coast Guard hates being the first sea service to adopt new technologies, and, if the Valor tiltrotor is an option, the Coast Guard will need to get out there and take the lead. Rapid adoption certainly carries organizational and operational risk. It isn’t all rainbows and unicorns in adopting a new platform like the V-280 tiltrotor. U.S Coast Guard Prepare For The End Of The Black Hawk Now: Jayhawks will be the backbone of the USCG search and rescue fleet. And, aside from the platform, it is also an unmatched opportunity for the Coast Guard to offer early input on top-tier military sensors, communications and other “missionization” support manufacturers will be racing to get aboard the Army’s Valor. The Service, as the first maritime user, can shape subsequent development of the aircraft to best suit other Coast Guard requirements, rather than struggle to reshape a platform built for non-Coast Guard related maritime priorities. By flying high and quietly tracking targets “over the horizon,” the new tiltrotors can direct cutters towards suspect vessels, simplifying complex and time-consuming interdiction efforts.īy jumping in to try the Valor as a “new” maritime patrol aircraft, the Coast Guard gets a host of extra advantages. If primarily used as a patrol aircraft and given the capability to match the high operational ceiling of the first generation MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor, the Bell Valor can extend the reach of the Coast Guard’s busy Pacific cutters. Getting V-280s into the Pacific likely offers the little cutters-which have no organic aviation aboard-a range of basic logistical support and emergency “casualty-evacuation-by-hoist” options that are largely unavailable in the deep Pacific. At sea, the Coast Guard’s far-ranging Fast Response Cutter fleet is eager for airborne backup. The new tiltrotors may not be quite ready to take on complex, all-weather search and rescue missions, but, in the Pacific, it can move right into a very open niche. If the tiltrotor is meant to become a substitute for a robust and tough helicopter, the Coast Guard needs to be “in the room” right now to ensure the platform matures enough to be an integral part of America’s maritime search and rescue arsenal. If the Army really intends to grow support of the V-280 like it has the Black Hawk fleet, the Coast Guard is guaranteed decades of improvements and upgrades over the life of the new aircraft-and, given how the Pacific security environment is evolving, the Army might even help pay for the experiment, particularly if the Coast Guard’s operational expertise can help the Army model how the tiltrotor might be best employed in the Pacific region. But, in the Pacific, the V-280, if used primarily as a patrol aircraft, might be well worth the time and expense. The Spartan fleet is not doing much beyond costing the Coast Guard money. Serving as a mid-range patrol aircraft with vertical take-off and landing “benefits” offers a perfect fit for the developing platform. But with the Valor offering a projected cruise speed of 320 miles per hour and fully-loaded range of some 500-800 nautical miles, the tiltrotor, if it can be marinized easily, offers the Coast Guard far more operationally relevant flexibility-particularly in the Pacific, where the tiltrotor’s speed, range and vertical landing capabilities grants the Coast Guard a lot of opportunities in the Service’s island-studded patrol areas.Īs operational gambles go, pushing to get the V-280 into the Coast Guard right away is pretty low risk. With a cruise speed of 362 miles per hour, the C-27J Spartan is only moderately faster than the new tiltrotor.
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