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.
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