U.S. Coast Guard officials needed an advanced radar system with which to upgrade 15 AC-130H aircraft. They found the solution at Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems (S&AS) U.S. Inc. in Kiln, Miss. They issued the company a $32 million contract spanning the next four years for the Selex Galileo Seaspray 7500E AESA surveillance radar system.
The Seaspray 7500E electronically scanned array (ESCAN) radar, which operates using a dedicated multistation display suite, will be the primary sensor on the Coast Guard’s front-line, long-range maritime surveillance aircraft for surveillance, search and rescue, law enforcement, humanitarian relief, environmental protection, and maritime resource management.
The radar provides surveillance and imaging modes, and includes a human machine interface (HMI) on large-format, smart, touch-screen displays on an Ethernet-based LAN. Multiple operators can use different modes and display formats simultaneously at different stations around the aircraft.
U.S. Coast Guard AC-130H aircraft often are deployed on short notice and in bad weather to help protect major ports, coast lines, and the Great Lakes. The Seaspray radar system met the Coast Guard’s requirement to detect small targets at sea in severe weather, detect oil spills, track ice flows, provide en-route weather avoidance, and provide imaging and ground mapping.
Manufacture, configuration management training, and engineering support 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, Miss.
For more, visit Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems online at www.selex-sas.com.
