-
Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?
Go here:
Edit Account Details and Profile
Coast Guard Predator
- Thread starter CoastieFlyer
- Start date
I knew CBP was heavy into the maritime-surveillance Preds - I talked to the guy in charge of standing up the office at Cape Canaveral. Didn't know the Coasties were buying in, too...guess it makes sense.
Not flying it much from what I hear....in fact, he has orders to a non-flying job this summer so they are looking for bodies. I'm sure there's a spot for you in the UAS branch if you want it!
Anyone know if these are going to be limited to surveillance or will they have some SAR utility as well? Some kind of expendable with a raft/radio/supplies to help hold people over till they can get a manned asset in to make the pickup might come in handy.
If it's the same one CBP is fielding, no. It's strictly surveillance, though from what I've been told, it's got some pretty damn good surveillance tools.
Not for me. Going to Detroit instead.
slug
Member
If the UAS is capable of conducting surveillance, then it can assist with SAR. Atleast it can help with the search. Personally I think it sounds great to have an asset with Day video/FLIR and 16 hours of flight time conduct search patterns looking for survivors. Then call the manned helo once you have an accurate Lat/Long for the survivors. Cheaper, safer and gets the job done.
Well, we do have an asset like that, called the C-130 (OK, 14 hrs of flight time), however, video/FLIR is used more as an identification tool than a detection tool on the Herc. I'm guessing at the speeds they fly, and with their camera package on board they might have a better time detecting something, however sending it to find a small object, like a raft or overturned boat may be trying to ask of it something that the sensor suite wasn't designed for.
As Coasties know, doing more with less and using something beyond what it was originally designed for is standard ops in the CG.
Of course, use of this as a SAR asset involves a different pot of money (every flight hour gets charged to someone), and with limited hours they wouldn't simply throw this asset into a SAR response without some deep discussions waaaay above my paygrade.
It's more of a large-area surveillance tool. Watch the Straits, monitor traffic, look for specific boats if you have intel, that sort of thing.
Yep.