“Coast Guard completes upgrade of its HC-144 fleet” –CG-9

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Below is news from the Acquisitions Directorate, (CG-9)

Coast Guard completes upgrade of its HC-144 fleet

Sept. 13, 2024 —

The crew of CGNR 2313 prepares the aircraft for takeoff from the Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center (ALC) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and delivery to Coast Guard Air Station Miami. This is the 18th and final HC-144 to be outfitted with the Ocean Sentry Refresh and Minotaur mission system architecture. U.S. Coast Guard photo by the Aviation Logistics Center.

The Coast Guard completed the upgrade of its HC-144 Ocean Sentry medium range surveillance aircraft fleet with the delivery of the 18th and final plane to undergo the Ocean Sentry Refresh (OSR) and integration of Minotaur mission system architecture.  On Aug. 6, a crew flew CGNR 2313 from the Aviation Logistics Center (ALC), the site of the upgrade work, to Air Station Miami, where the plane is now based.

The delivery marks the end of the decade-long modification effort, restoring full fleet complement and providing advance situational awareness and mission system capabilities necessary to carry out missions around the clock.

CGNR 2313 receives the traditional “water salute” as it prepares to depart ALC for delivery to Air Station Miami. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Upon completion of the upgrade, the aircraft have been redesignated as HC-144Bs. The Bravo iteration merged two significant upgrade projects, OSR and Minotaur missionization.

OSR upgrades the aircraft with a new flight management system, which serves as the primary avionics computer for communication control, navigation and equipment monitoring.

Minotaur missionization integrates installed sensors and radar and provides dramatically improved data fusion as well as information processing capabilities.

The modifications to the HC-144B have made missions faster and more effective, according to Pesebra Cartwright, program manager for the Medium Range Surveillance Aircraft Program. “It enables crews to fly with lower cloud ceilings, allowing on-scene coverage.”

Cartwright added, “Feedback from the fleet on the HC-144B aircraft is overwhelmingly positive.”

He quoted a pilot as saying, “I’d rather fly an HC-144B with one operational Minotaur mission system workstation than to fly an HC-144A with a full function legacy mission system pallet.”

On search and rescue missions, the operator can locate vessels matching the search profile faster using the improved radar software. The high-definition forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor provides better pictures to quickly identify vessel type, name and people onboard. Also, the improved direction-finding equipment provides location information based on the signal from a 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, allowing crews to fly directly to position, a significant advancement over the Alpha configuration’s limits of following a line of bearing. “This undoubtedly leads to more lives assisted and/or saved,” Cartwright said.

Faster and more effective applies to law enforcement missions as well. The improved radar allows for quicker location of vessels suspected of transporting illegal drugs or undocumented migrants or fishing in prohibited areas. The high-definition FLIR then provides better pictures to properly document the vessel while providing a compass location to a Coast Guard intercept vessel. With this upgrade, HC-144B mission system operators are now able to share Minotaur data with other Minotaur-equipped aircraft, ultimately improving mission effectiveness.

For more information: Medium Range Surveillance Program page and Minotaur Program page

“Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy offload $44.2 million worth of drugs in San Diego” –D11 / Canada’s Kingston Class

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His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Yellowknife (HMCS-706) pulls into the Port of San Diego to offload $44.2 million worth of cocaine, Sept. 12, 2024. The Yellowknife’s crew interdicted a panga-style boat 430 miles southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, September 5 during an Eastern Pacific counter-narcotics patrol under the direction of U.S. Coast Guard District 11 and Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Levi Read/Released)

Below is an Eleventh District news release.

The Canadians have been helping with drug interdiction since at least 2006.

HMCS Nanaimo, a Royal Canadian Navy maritime coastal defense vessel operating in support of Operation Martillo

The twelve 970 ton, 55.31 m (181 ft 6 in), Kingston class ships like Yellowknife are smaller and slower (15 knots) than the WMEC210s and has a smaller crew but are about 30 years younger, all having been commissioned 1996-99.

Courtesy Photo | USCGC Escanaba (WMEC 907) and USCGC Richard Snyder (WPC 1127) practice maneuvering with the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Goose Bay (MM 707) in the Davis Strait on Aug. 13, 2021. In Operation Nanook, the U.S. Coast Guard seeks to work collaboratively with other international partners to enhance collective abilities to respond to safety and security issues in the High North through the air and maritime presence activities, maritime domain defense, and security exercises. (Photo courtesy Royal Canadian Navy)

A larger, but still relatively small Offshore Patrol Vessel, has been proposed as a replacement for the class, the Vigilance project. No decision has been made as yet.

Sept. 12, 2024

Photo Release: Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy offload $44.2 million worth of drugs in San Diego

U.S. Coast Guard District 11

SAN DIEGO — The Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy offloaded $44.2 million worth of cocaine in San Diego, Thursday morning.

The crew aboard His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Yellowknife (HMCS-706) and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team interdicted more than 3,100 lbs. of cocaine approximately 430 miles southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, September 5.

“I congratulate the entire crew of the Yellowknife for their successful patrol in the Eastern Pacific, and I thank them for their dedicated service,” said Capt. Tim Lavier, Eleventh Coast Guard District chief of response. “Deploying a Coast Guard law enforcement team aboard a Canadian Navy ship in the Eastern Pacific is a significant showcase of the strong relationship we have built with our Canadian partners.”

Multiple U.S. agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, collaborate in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, all play a role in counter-narcotic operations.

“I would like to thank our crew onboard HMCS Yellowknife and our partners with the U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team, who worked together to support the interdiction of 3,100 lbs. of cocaine,” said Lt. Cmdr. Tyson Babcock, commanding officer HMCS Yellowknife. “We are proud to contribute to the multinational efforts to address illegal trafficking through Operation CARIBBE, Canada’s contribution to U.S.-led enhanced counternarcotics operations under Joint Interagency Task Force South, to impede the flow of illicit drugs and improve the safety and security of North America, the Caribbean and South America.

The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean requires unity of effort in all phases, from detection, monitoring and interdictions to criminal prosecutions by international partners and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in districts across the nation. The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean is conducted under the authority of the Eleventh Coast Guard District, headquartered in Alameda, Calif. The interdictions, including the actual boardings, are led and conducted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard.

These interdictions relate to Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) designated investigations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The HMCS Yellowknife (706) is a Kingston-class Coastal Defence Vessel and is one of 12 maritime coastal defence vessels, and is homeported in Esquimalt, British Columbia. It was accepted into the Royal Canadian Navy in 1997 and commissioned, January 30, 1998.

Large Missile Hit, Mobility Does Not Seem Impaired

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The MV Aya was hit by a Russian Kh-22 (AS-4 Kitchen) missile.

Naval News reports,

A Turkish operated merchant vessel, the MV Aya, has been hit by a supersonic anti-ship missile in the Black Sea. The Kh-22 missile was launched from a Russian Tu-22M Backfire bomber. The ship was carrying 26,550 tons of grain for Egypt.

MV Aya seems to be the ship pictured below. If so, it is relatively small, 107.7 meters (353′) in length and 17.2 meters (56.4′) of beam.

M/V Aya, source: vesselfinder.com

What I find interesting here is that while this relatively small ship was hit by a large, hypersonic missile, the Kh-22, NATO designation AS-4 “Kitchen” with a 1,000 kg (2,205-pound warhead) designed to be used against aircraft carriers, the ship apparently continued its voyage.

As Naval News notes,

“Modern merchant ships have proven very resilient to missiles, although the risk to the vessel and crew remains high. Context is everything. This is demonstrated by the Houthi Movement who have struck a number of vessels with ballistic missiles in the Red Sea, resulting in broadly similar damage.”

The resilience of modern merchant ships should raise a red flag for the Coast Guard, in that the service no longer has the facility to meet the implicit mission requirement of being able to forcibly stop merchant ships regardless of size.

“Royal Navy makes first ‘narco-sub’ drugs seizure” –BBC

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Crew members form U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 111 and British Royal Navy team embarked aboard HMS Trent (P244) interdicts a semi-submersible drug smuggling vessel in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea, Aug. 26, 2024. Three suspected smugglers and 1,239 pounds of illegal narcotics from this interdiction were transferred to federal custody for prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice. (Courtesy image from United Kingdom Royal Navy)

BBC reports,

“HMS Trent has made eight drug seizures since deploying to the Caribbean in December 2023, setting a new record, the Royal Navy added.

“It said the patrol ship had seized more than 9,400kg (20,000lb) of drugs, making it the best hunter of smugglers in the Royal Navy this century.”

Below is the Coast Guard news release regarding the offload.

Sept. 10, 2024

Coast Guard offloads more than $54 million in illegal narcotics interdicted in Caribbean Sea

Coast Guard Seventh District – (305) 415-6683

MIAMI – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Diligence offloaded more than 4,125 pounds of cocaine with an assessed street value of approximately $54 million in Port Everglades, Monday.

Coast Guard crews, working alongside interagency and international partners, seized the illegal drugs in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea during three separate interdictions.

The following assets and crews were involved in the interdictions:

  • Royal Navy ship HMS Trent (P 244)
  • U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team Pacific (PAC-TACLET)
  • U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier (WPC 1115)
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP-AMO)
  • Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South)

Along with the illicit narcotics, 11 suspected smugglers were apprehended and will face prosecution in federal courts by the U.S. Department of Justice.

“I am extremely proud of our crew’s tenacity and professionalism, coupled with outstanding coordination with Coast Guard aircrews, during this complex counter-drug mission,” said Lt. Matthew Carmine, Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier commanding officer. “Their steadfast efforts, along with those of foreign allies and partner agencies, continue to prove vital to countering drug trafficking organizations and safeguarding the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

Detecting and interdicting illicit drug traffickers on the high seas involves significant interagency and international coordination. The Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Florida conducts the detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs. Once interdiction becomes imminent, the law enforcement phase of the operation begins, and control of the operation shifts to the U.S. Coast Guard throughout the interdiction and apprehension. Interdictions in the Caribbean Sea are performed by members of the U.S. Coast Guard under the authority and control of the Coast Guard’s Seventh District, headquartered in Miami.

These interdictions relate to Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces’ (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiatives and designated investigations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

For breaking news, follow us on “X” (formerly Twitter). For additional information, find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Visit GoCoastGuard.com to learn about active duty and reserve, officer and enlisted opportunities in the U.S. Coast Guard. Information on how to apply to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy can be found here.

UNITAS 2024 Photos

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Guest author Andres Tavolari sent me a link to the Armada de Chile Flickr account which currently has a reported 14,813 photos.

The most recent photos are from UNITAS 2024. There are some really excellent photographs. Presumably as additional photos are added, page numbers will change, but currently, at least the first seven pages, more than 600 photos, are all devoted to UNITAS 2024 and more may be added.

An earlier post provided identification of participants.

“NATO Selects Three Companies For Next-Generation Rotorcraft Concept Study” –The War Zone

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Lockheed Martin Sikorsky’s concept will be based on X2 technology. Lockheed Martin rendering

The War Zone Reports,

“NATO, seeking to replace its aging fleet of helicopters, awarded three contracts on Friday to provide parallel concept studies for a new medium-lift, multirole rotorcraft. The alliance hopes to field that aircraft beginning in 2035…

“Dubbed “Concept Study #5, the goal is to “provide a broad range of potential concepts” to help participating nations choose what kind of vertical lift platform they want in the future. The NGRC program initiative began in 2022 and includes France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It was initially created with €26.7 million ($28.98 million) dedicated to defining the future of their helicopter fleets. The United States and Spain are currently acting as observers.”

Given that the Future Vertical Lift program is not producing an aircraft the Coast Guard can operate from cutters, this program may be of interest.

It is intended to replace AW101s, H-60s, Super Pumas, and NH90s.

The three contracts were awarded to Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo (partnered with Bell), and Lockheed Martin Sikorsky.

“At this stage in the process, NATO is agnostic when it comes to the choice of a traditional helicopter or non-traditional rotary aircraft. The alliance does, however, have many “required attributes” that the ultimate winning design must have, according to procurement documents.”

Among those attributes,

“Able to be deployed for medium-long periods (6-9 months) and fully operate from Frigate (FF)/Destroyer (DD) class of vessel, i.e. not larger than the footprint or dimension of either NH-90 (NFH), or AW-101, including the optional capability of folding main rotor/tail to be moved onto ship’s elevator/hangar for maritime operations.”

UNITAS 2024 Participants

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Since the announcement of the start of UNITAS 2024, I have been looking for a more detailed list of participating units.

We already knew about US participants, including US Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team (TACLET) Pacific Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET); and USCG Maritime Security Response Team East (MSRTE) Direct Action Section, but had little information about non-US ships and aircraft involved.

Got a pleasant surprise in the form of an email from my Chilean connection, Andres Tavolari, providing a link to the information.

Andres was the author of one of the most widely read posts ever on this blog,

Three Nations Share German OPV Design             

That post was about an 80 meter Fassmer OPV design that was planned to be built in Argentina, Chile and Colombia. Chile built four. Colombia built three. Argentina dropped out of the program and instead bought four Bouchard (formerly L’Adroit) class OPVs. Germany subsequently built three 86 meter versions for their federal police force and Singapore has ordered four similar vessels.

Three of these 80-meter OPVs are participating in UNITAS 2024

The Chilean website provides a small side view graphic or silhouette for each ship and aircraft type along with the country the asset is from and a link to a photograph. In the case of the Chilean assets, there is additional descriptive information.

The website is in Spanish, but my browser provided an understandable translation.

Aircraft came from Chile, the US, Ecuador, and Uruguay.

19 ships and submarines were identified.

Chilean Navy participants include eight floating units: three frigates, two OPVs, an 42,000 ton oiler, a 12,000 ton French built LSD(H) that they have apparently used to resupply their Antarctic Station (video above), a small Landing Ship Tank (LST), and a submarine.

The US Navy has sent USS Germantown (LSD-42), USS St. Louis (LCS 19), and USS Hampton (SSN 767).

Argentina, Brazil, and Peru sent frigates. Ecuador sent a corvette. Mexico sent ARM Benito Juarez, classed as a long range ocean patrol ship, but really much more, being equipped with a CAPTAS-2 towed array active/passive sonar and armed with US sourced anti-ship Harpoon missiles and anti-air Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) and Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM). The UK sent a 5.000 ton ice capable patrol, survey, and support ship, HMS Protector.

The Chilean Navy has done a great job of providing accompanying video as well.

This year’s exercise will include cyber, and Fourth Fleet is also bringing some unmanned systems. There will also be a SINKEX.

Really, this is some of the best coverage of an exercise I have ever seen, and the underway portion hasn’t even started.

Andres also told me,

“At the same time, other American gear visited us: at least, a C-17 which brought an UH-60 and a HIMARS launcher with what appears to be a reloading truck.”

“GAO says Coast Guard needs better ‘performance measures’ in Arctic” –Workboat

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The USCGC Sycamore (WLB 209) crew participates in a navigation exercise with a HDMS Knud Rasmussen (P570), a Royal Danish Navy Knud Rasmussen-class patrol vessel and the FNS Fulmar (P740), a French Navy patrol vessel, off the coast of Southern Greenland, June 13, 2023. Deployed forces demonstrated U.S. Coast Guard capabilities to build partner capacity and expertise in search and rescue, navigation, and damage control. These efforts solidify key strategic relationships while achieving mutual Danish, Greenlandic, and U.S. goals in the North American Atlantic Arctic and Northwest Atlantic Ocean. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Blue)

Workboat reports,

“The Coast Guard hasn’t fully tracked the time spent on its Arctic activities,” according to the GAO, which is the non-partisan auditing and accounting arm of Congress. “Complete information would help the Coast Guard better allocate its constrained resources and assess its progress toward achieving its Arctic strategic goals.”

It seems GAO is always critical, but that is sort of their job. Reports are a pain in the ass, but it does seem that the Coast Guard has been lax in both making reports and in using them to justify additional resources, and this does not just apply to the Arctic.

For instance, I have not seen reports like this in a very long time.

To compete for budget dollars, an agency should be able to show return on investment. Money spent on the Coast Guard is a good investment. We need to be able to document that.

Thanks to Paul for bringing this to my attention. 

“California to Deploy Surplus C-130 Aircraft from Coast Guard to Fight Wildfires” –Military.Com

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California officials have added a C-130 Hercules cargo plane to the firefighting fleet of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the state’s primary firefighting agency. (Courtesy Cal Fire/TNS)

It has taken a long time to make it happen, but Military.com reports, CalFire is finally getting the first of seven former USCG C-130H aircraft that will join their fire flighting fleet. I’ve been told that necessary changes were actually made by the Coast Guard at CGAS Elizabeth City.