USCG’s sUAS for NSC programme achieves milestone
The US Coast Guard’s (USCG) small UAS National Security Cutter (NSC) programme has received approval to progress to the next phase, the USCG announced on 23rd October.
The approval allows the programme to move onto its planned release of a request for proposal (RFP) and contract award for the UAS NSC capability. Under this phase, the programme will install small UAS infrastructure on an NSC and conduct operational testing of the capability.
Prototype UAS deployments on the coast guard's Stratton cutter has supported interdictions in nine of the 11 drug seizures the ship made during its summer deployment.
The USCG plans to release an RFP for a small UAS for NSC in early fiscal year 2018. The contract award for the retrofit of Stratton and installation on other NSCs is targeted for later that fiscal year.
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