KILN, Miss., 28 April 2008. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has selected the Selex Galileo Seaspray 7500E AESA surveillance radar system for its HC-130H radar upgrade program. This follow-on contract for the production element has been awarded after successful demonstration of the technology.

The contract valued at $32 million for this phase, is scheduled to run over the next four years. A total of 15 HC-130H aircraft will be upgraded to a new level of capability. The Seaspray 7500E electronically scanned array (ESCAN) radar, which operates using a dedicated multistation display suite and surveillance/SAR, will be the primary sensor on the USCG's front-line long-range maritime surveillance aircraft.

The Seaspray 7500E radar provides a suite of surveillance and imaging modes. The system includes a Human Machine Interface (HMI) implemented on large-format, and smart, touch-screen displays on the radar's Ethernet-based LAN. Multiple operators can use different modes and display formats simultaneously at different stations around the aircraft.

U.S. Coast Guard HC-130H aircraft are often deployed on short notice and in extreme weather conditions to execute search and rescue, law enforcement, humanitarian relief, environmental protection, and maritime resource management. These obligations are central to the Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative for protecting major ports, coast lines, and the Great Lakes.

The Seaspray radar system will meet the USCG's requirement for a sensor system able to detect small targets at sea in severe weather conditions, depict harmful oil spills, track ice flows, provide en route weather avoidance, and enable precise imaging and ground mapping capabilities in a highly integrated airborne mission package.

Manufacture, configuration management training, and engineering support of the radar systems, will be carried out by Selex Galileo at its primary operating site in Edinburgh, Scotland. Installation, kit fabrication, and aircraft modification will be provided by Selex S&AS U.S. Inc. and Pegasus International Inc at Stennis International Airport near Kiln, Mississippi.

R. Scott Rettig, chairman and CEO, Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems (S&AS) U.S. Inc. says: "We are honored to be part of this USCG team and in particular to lead the integration effort with Pegasus International at our aircraft modification and integration facility in Kiln, Mississippi."