Naval Air: HC-144

Archives

April 17, 2012: The U.S. Coast Guard has ordered two more HC-144 ("Ocean Sentry") MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft). The coast guard already has 15 of these aircraft, and plans to eventually have a fleet of 36. The first one entered service six years ago and carried out its first search and rescue mission four years ago. Last year HC-144s flew 10,250 hours on patrol missions. Some were over land, when there was a natural disaster that needed air recon quickly.

The Ocean Sentry is actually a militarized CN-235, which is a cheaper ($19 million each) alternative to the P-3 that the U.S. Navy uses for high seas recon. The CN-235 suits the coastal patrol needs of the coast guard.

The CN-235 is a civilian twin engine, 15 ton aircraft with a max payload of six tons. With about three tons of sensors and other equipment, a typical load for an MPA, the CN-235 can stay in the air for up to eleven hours per sortie. Most missions are about ten hours. Cruising speed is about 435 kilometers an hour. The CN-235 is equipped with a thermal imager and electronic monitoring equipment, in addition to the sea search radar.

 

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close