Coast Guard puts Eagle Eye UAV on hold

[unhappycamper]

Coast Guard puts Eagle Eye UAV on hold
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 19, 2007 16:02:36 EDT

Development of the Bell Helicopter-made Eagle Eye unmanned aerial vehicle has been put on hold as the Coast Guard explores other options for ship-based rotary wing surveillance aircraft, a service spokesman said Friday.

The Coast Guard has “frozen” funds marked for development and purchase of Eagle Eye, a tilt-rotor unmanned system that resembles the Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey aircraft, Coast Guard spokesman George Kardulias said.

Aviation program managers in the service’s Integrated Deepwater Systems office have decided to examine alternatives to Eagle Eye see whether the craft provides the “best market value” for the Coast Guard, Kardulias said.

“Technically, the program is not canceled. It’s a good UAV. But we looked at the money and looked at the priorities, and we are studying other UAVs to determine the best value for the mission,” he said.

Under the Deepwater modernization program, the Coast Guard was to purchase up to 69 Eagle Eye UAV systems for surveillance, reconnaissance and security missions.

The aircraft were to deploy on the eight national security cutters and 25 offshore patrol cutters being built under the Deepwater modernization program. They also were to go on board the service’s existing 270-foot and 378-foot cutters.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/10/coastguard_uav_071019w/



uhc comment: The MV-22 was recently deployed to Iraq.

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