February 26, 2008
The U.S. Coast Guard’s new HC-144A Ocean Sentry played a key role in recovering a U.S. Air Force pilot from the Gulf of Mexico, demonstrating the EADS CASA-built platform’s capabilities as a multi-role maritime patrol aircraft.
This February 20 mission marked two important milestones for the twin-engine turboprop aircraft: its first operational Coast Guard search and rescue (SAR) deployment, and the Ocean Sentry’s initial use as an on-scene SAR coordinator platform.
The mission began while the HC-144A was on a local training flight from Mobile, Alabama’s Coast Guard Aviation Training Center. Reports of a mid-air collision involving two USAF F-15 fighters resulted in the Ocean Sentry’s diversion to the search area off Panama City, Florida.
The aircraft assumed on-scene coordinator responsibility after becoming the first Coast Guard asset to arrive. In parallel to initiating its own search, the HC-144A communicated with an Air Force aerial tanker and two F-15s orbiting the area, helping manage their own efforts to locate the missing pilots.
Crewmembers aboard the HC-144A visually located a parachute and life raft in the water, and pinpointed a fishing boat in the area using the Ocean Sentry’s Automatic Identification System (AIS). After establishing radio contact with this vessel, the HC-144A vectored it to the parachute and life raft, but the F-15 pilot was not found.
Continuing with its aerial search, the Ocean Sentry then sighted the floating pilot and redirected the same fishing vessel for a pickup. Using information from the rescued crewman, the HC-144A continued its on-scene coordinator duties in searching for the other USAF pilot – directing the three Air Force aircraft, two Coast Guard jets and a pair of helicopters, as well as a 41-foot Coast Guard vessel on the water.
The Ocean Sentry subsequently handed search responsibilities over to another Coast Guard aircraft, flying back to Mobile where it joined two other HC-144As currently based at the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center.
On their return, crewmembers said the Ocean Sentry proved to be a highly capable search platform during the mission. Excellent visibility provided by its bubble observer windows were important design features, enabling the aircrew to more carefully to observe the search area – including directly below the Ocean Sentry (something that is not possible with the Coast Guard’s current HU-25 aircraft, which will be replaced by HC-144As).
While flying out to the designated area and during its actual search efforts, the HC-144A’s onboard mission system collected Automatic Identification System data from vessels in the region – including ships’ names, position, course, speed and other information. This helped the Ocean Sentry to identify and communicate with civilian vessels, including the fishing boat that subsequently was vectored to pick up the downed airman.
The HC-144A is the only Coast Guard aircraft with AIS capability today, providing positive identification of assisting vessels while eliminating confusion often associated with hailing unknown boats or ships.
Another advantage for this mission was the aircrew’s enhanced situational awareness – a result of the HC-144A’s Flight Management System, which displays real-time position maps, including an active surface plot with information collected from other assets and sources in the area.
The HC-144A’s ability to sprint to a scene and then fly slowly through a search pattern also were important factors in the SAR deployment, as were its long endurance capabilities that enabled aircrew coordination of search and rescue operations at slow speeds – ensuring excellent visual coverage of the area.
To date, EADS CASA has delivered three Coast Guard HC-144As, which are being used for test, evaluation and final integration of their palletized mission system. Five more Ocean Sentries are on contract with EADS, and the service has identified a total requirement for 36 of the multi-role maritime patrol aircraft.
