The Coast Guard selected the HC-144A “Ocean Sentry” to serve as its new medium range multi-purpose surveillance aircraft. In early 2007 the first three were delivered to the Coast Guard Aviation Repair & Supply Center (AR&SC) at Elizabeth City, North Carolina to undergo installation and testing of mission sensor and communication equipment. Initial technical publications … Read more
Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft intercepted by HH-65C during Rotary Wing Air Intercept training exercise The U.S. Coast Guard officially assumed responsibility for rotary wing air intercept operations in the nation’s Capitol Air Defense Zone from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency on 25 September 2006. Coast Guard HH-65C helicopters and crews operate out of … Read more
Hurricane Katrina, one of the largest natural disasters in our nation’s history, was chosen for inclusion in the Coast Guard Aviation History Timeline because it illustrates both the capabilities of the United States Coast Guard and its operational principles that promote leadership, accountability, and delegation of authority to qualified personnel at the lowest possible level, facilitating … Read more
C-143A The C-143A is a Challenger CL-604 aircraft, which was acquired by the Coast Guard in December 2005 as its new Medium Range Command and Control Aircraft (MRC2A). It provides support exclusively for the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and the Commandant, US Coast Guard. With a marked increase of missions and responsibilities … Read more
In 1998 the U.S. Coast Guard established a unit known as HITRON-10 to test and evaluate airborne use of force (AUF) as a means of interdicting and stopping the high speed smuggling boats known as ‘go-fasts.” Tactics were developed using leased MD-90 helicopters. After a successful proof of concept operation HITRON was established as a … Read more
n late 2002, at the request of the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard began preparations for mission specific duties in support of military operations in and around Iraq. The Coast Guard sent two 378 foot WHEC cutters with aviation detachments, a sea-going buoy tender, eight 110 foot patrol boats, Port Security Units, Tactical Law … Read more
The President of the United States signed into law the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which created the Department of Homeland Security. Under this legislation, the U.S. Coast Guard was transferred from the Department of Transportation to the new Department on March 1 2003. On September 11, 2001 America experienced a shocking demonstration of asymmetric … Read more
In August of 2002, during the ceremony making the contract award for the Integrated Deepwater System, (IDS), Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thomas H. Collins described the critical need to upgrade and modernize the service’s force of cutters, aerial platforms, and support systems. He stressed that the Coast Guard must have the most capable ships, aircraft, … Read more
The C-37A, a Gulfstream V, was acquired in the second quarter of 2002 to serve as long range command-and-control aircraft that can be used to provide transportation for high-level Coast Guard and government officials. The C-37 is fully capable of long range flight with a range of 6,500 nautical miles. The C-37 replaced the VC-20B. … Read more
The Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Michael P. Jackson, joined by U. S. Coast Guard Commandant Thomas H. Collins, on June 25, 2002, announced the award of an initial contract valued at $11.04 billion for a fleet of new ships and aircraft, plus improved command and control systems, to meet the service’s mission needs. The contract ICGS … Read more
THE COAST GUARD AVIATION ASSOCIATION
“Flying Since The World Was Flat”
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