Sept. 21, 2020 —
The Coast Guard has accepted delivery of its eighth HC-144B Ocean Sentry outfitted with both Ocean Sentry Refresh modifications and the Minotaur mission system. The HC-144's state-of-the-art sensors and avionics, fuel consumption rate, and short field takeoff and landing capability make it uniquely suited for Coast Guard missions. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Wyrick.
The Coast Guard accepted delivery of its eighth HC-144B Ocean Sentry medium range surveillance aircraft outfitted with both the Ocean Sentry Refresh (OSR) modifications and the Minotaur mission system Aug. 24. Modifications to CGNR 2315 were completed at the Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
The OSR project upgrades the aircraft with a new flight management system, which manages communication control, navigation and equipment monitoring. After the OSR upgrade is completed, each aircraft is redesignated as an HC-144B.
Minotaur integrates installed sensors and radar and provides dramatically improved data fusion as well as information processing and sharing capabilities.
Completion of missionization and upgrade of a ninth HC-144 is scheduled by the end of November. The service plans to upgrade each of the service’s 18 HC-144s by 2022.
For more information: HC-144 program page and Minotaur program page