Dec. 20, 2018 —
The Coast Guard recently conducted a critical design review of Minotaur missionization of its C-27J aircraft. The review was conducted in partnership with Naval Air Systems Command and aircraft manufacturer Leonardo. Photo by Lt. Scott Handlin, Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento.
The Coast Guard conducted a critical design review (CDR) of Minotaur missionization of its C-27J Spartan medium range surveillance aircraft Oct. 22-25. Conducted in partnership with Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and the aircraft manufacturer, Leonardo, the review covered the integration and design for the Minotaur mission system processor and 19 subsystems for the C27-J Spartan. This process, called “missionization,” incorporates new communication and surveillance capabilities required for the Coast Guard to carry out its missions.
The CDR is expected to be complete in early 2019. The follow-on event, an installation readiness review (IRR), is scheduled for February 2019; work on the prototype aircraft will commence after getting the green light from the IRR.
Completing the CDR is a critical step in the Coast Guard C-27J missionization program. “This was the first event where the team was able to see the entire body of design and integration work that has been completed to date; we are excited about the progress and cannot wait to get this unique capability out to our operators,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ian Hall, C-27J deputy program manager. “We are very proud of the teamwork exhibited by our Leonardo and NAVAIR engineers; they have proposed some ingenious outside-the-box solutions to some very technically challenging issues.”
Once fully missionized, the C-27J will be a medium range surveillance aircraft capable of executing maritime patrol aircraft missions including communicating and sharing data with other government agencies. All 14 C-27Js will be missionized, with completion of the prototype expected in early 2020.
For more information: Medium Range Surveillance Aircraft program page