EADS CASA CN-235 Chosen for Deepwater MPA

By RICHARD R. BURGESS
Managing Editor

Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) has been awarded a $130 million Coast Guard contract for the design and delivery of two maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). The CN-235-300M twin-turboprop aircraft--built in Spain by Construcciones Aeronauticas S.A. (CASA), a subsidiary of EADS--has been selected as the MPA platform for the Coast Guard's Integrated Deepwater System (IDS) program.

CASA is a subcontractor for Lockheed Martin, which is a partner with Northrop Grumman in ICGS. CASA is scheduled to deliver two stock CN-235-300Ms to the Coast Guard in early 2006; the aircraft will be modified to Coast Guard specifications by late 2006.

The two initial CN-235-300Ms will be the first of a planned multiyear procurement of MPAs for the IDS program. The total number to be procured has not yet been determined, in large part because the final number will be based on the optimal number of medium-range CN-235s and long-range HC-130s required to meet IDS requirements.

"We are extremely pleased by the Coast Guard selection of the CN-235 to be their maritime patrol aircraft," said Ralph Crosby, chairman and CEO of EADS North America. "The medium-range capabilities of this aircraft will be very supportive of the many missions required for the Coast Guard--from homeland security to environmental protection, fisheries enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, [and] search and rescue."

The CN-235 is built in Spain, but its engines are built in the United States by GE Aircraft Engines in Lynn, Mass. Many of the aircraft's avionics and subsystems also are built in the United States.

"The selection of the CN-235 as part of the ICGS offering is a clear example of the benefits of trans-Atlantic cooperation," Crosby said. "The CN-235 best meets the operational needs of the Coast Guard and is a cost-effective choice for the American taxpayer."

General Dynamics Begins LRIP UOCs for USMC Ops Centers

General Dynamics Decision Systems (GDDS) has been authorized to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Unit Operations Center (UOC), a mobile command center that will enable Marine Corps ground commanders to digitally collect, process, and disseminate tactical data for all phases of ground warfare.

The UOC is a mobile, modular command-and-control center that includes tents, trailers, generators, heating and cooling systems, network servers, workstations, laptop computers, a voice-over Internet protocol intercom, and peripheral computer equipment. The UOC will have access both to a non-secure Internet protocol router network and to the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet).

GDDS--based in Scottsdale, Ariz.--will begin LRIP of 11 UOCs "for production-readiness testing and evaluation by Marine Corps units in order to refine and finalize the design," said GDDS spokeswoman Fran Jacques. Approval for LRIP followed the completion of operational demonstrations, risk-reduction testing, and the testing of engineering development systems. The UOC is scheduled to reach initial operational capability in mid-2004. Production for all echelons of the Marine Corps is scheduled to be completed by late 2008.

The Marine Corps Systems Command awarded a five-year contract--potentially worth $522 million--to General Dynamics in April 2002 for development and production of the UOC. *