Sun, Feb 09, 2003
$1 Billion Eagle Eye Program
The Coast Guard says it's
awarded a $1 billion contract to Textron's Bell Helicopter Division
for the first phase of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) portion of
the U.S. Coast Guard's Integrated Deepwater System contract.
Bell expects to receive funding over the next three years for
the design and development of three Eagle Eye unmanned tiltrotor
aerial vehicles (UTAV). Under proposed funding plans, the program
calls for ultimate delivery of 69 aircraft and 50 ground control
stations with an expected total program value of at least $1
billion.
"The opportunity to assist the Coast Guard in the defense of our
homeland is an honor," said John Murphey, chairman and CEO of Bell
Helicopter. "UTAV technology adds performance benefits which are
simply not available in other helicopter drones. Superior speed,
flexibility and payload capability make the Bell Eagle Eye a
perfect fit for the Coast Guard's missions," he added.
The Bell Eagle Eye's tiltrotor technology
allows the aircraft to take off and land like a helicopter and fly
like an airplane. This technology gives the Bell Eagle Eye UTAV
superior speed and flexibility over a typical UAV. With its rotors
tilted forward it can cruise at speeds over 200 knots, find moving
targets 80-110 nautical miles away in minutes and be easily
re-tasked in-flight for another mission. It also has the ability to
loiter over a target 100 nm away for four hours. The Bell Eagle Eye
is both land and ship deployable given its ability to operate from
confined spaces.
Deepwater is a critical multi-year program to modernize and
replace aging ships and aircraft, and improve command and control
and logistics systems within the Coast Guard. For this award, Bell
Helicopter is a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics
& Surveillance Systems, which is a major subcontractor to
Integrated Coast Guard Systems, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin
and Northrop Grumman.
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