The Coast Guard in June began a series of evaluations of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) that could be launched—preferably by hand—from cutters other than its high-endurance National Security Cutter (NSC) and for use by other maritime first responders.
The first of five demonstrations of sUAS lasted about a week in early June aboard the 65-foot small harbor tug the Coast Guard Cutter Chock and involved the use of two hand-launched UAS, a Puma and a Wasp, supplied by AeroVironment [AVAV]. Another demonstration is slated for this fall and three more in spring 2016 with each demonstration using a UAS supplied by a different vendor. The Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center (RDC), which is conducting the demonstrations, will use seven sUAS in total.
The demonstrations are part of the RDC’s Robotic Aircraft for Maritime Public Safety (RAMPS) project, which is exploring risks, benefits and limitations of using commercial off-the-shelf sUAS on Coast Guard cutters other than the NSC. The work will also help in the development of requirements and operating concepts for using the sUAS and inform any future acquisition process.
The project is a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) branch.
“Thanks to the RDC, DHS S&T and other partners, we are rapidly gaining valuable insight into the many opportunities afforded by these state-of-the-market small unmanned aircraft systems,” Rear Adm. John Nadeau, assistant commandant for capability, said in a statement. “We are eagerly working to complete our work and get this new capability deployed to the field where it can enhance Coast Guard operations and improve mission execution.”
Some of the key performance parameters for sUAS in the RAMPS project include vehicles that weigh 35 pounds or less with less than 25 pounds preferred, a one-mile nautical range for rotary-wing UAS with three-miles preferred, and a three-mile range for fixed-wing UAS with six-miles preferred. The minimum requirement is launch of the sUAS is by a bungee or catapult, although hand-launched is preferred. The minimum sensor requirement is for electro-optical/infrared with the preferred capability also including radar and chemical, biological and radiological sensing.
The RAMPS project is separate from an ongoing Coast Guard acquisition effort for a UAS that would operate from its fleet of 418-foot NSCs, which has a flight deck and hangar space for two MH-65D helicopters or one MH-65D and two UAS. Four NSCs are in service and the last four are under construction.
The UAS acquisition for the NSC is in the analyze and select phase. The UAS will be able to provide at least 12 hours of continuous operations day or night and be equipped with multiple sensor payloads simultaneously.
The flights from the Chock included the first autonomous net recovery of a UAS on a Coast Guard vessel. The evaluations included safety of flight, performance and ship integrations, search scenarios, an environmental surveillance mission, and a law enforcement mission using a Coast Guard response boat-medium simulating a go-fast vessel.
The five demonstrations are all in phase one of the RAMPS project. The second phase, which has been funded by DHS, will focus on more specialized payload capabilities beyond intelligence gathering and for different Coast Guard missions, and development of a DHS UAS Rapid Evaluation Facility, which will provide the larger DHS community with a facility to evaluate UAS technologies.