$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.

FMI: www.bellhelicopter.textron.com/