Coast guard to deploy UAV.Bell Helicopter Bell Helicopter Textron is an American helicopter and tiltrotor manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A division of Textron, Bell manufactures military helicopter and tiltrotor products in the United States (primarily in and around Fort Worth as well as in Amarillo, will begin building the Coast Guard's fleet of Eagle Eye vertical unmanned aerial vehicles
UAV Unmanned Air Vehicle UAV Unmanned Aerospace Vehicle UAV Unmanned Airborne Vehicle UAV Uninhabited Air Vehicle UAV Urban Assault Vehicle UAV Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle (less common) platform manager, at an Institute for Defense and Government Advancement seminar. The VUAV VUAV VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle VUAV Virtual Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is a crucial part of the Integrated Deepwater System to modernize the service's hardware, Schmidt said. "Without the VUAV, the system won't be able to function," he added. Similar to the Marine Corps' V-22 Osprey, the Eagle Eye will be able to fly in helicopter or fixed-wing mode. The Coast Guard chose the design because the pitching and rolling on cutter flight decks would have made it difficult for skid-landings. The Eagle Eye also has a low center of gravity, which will make landings easier, Schmidt said. Unlike the Osprey osprey (ŏs`prē), common name for a bird of prey related to the hawk and the New World vulture and found near water in most parts of the world. , the Eagle Eye will have only one engine and no hydraulic system. This allows for ease of maintenance, but "if that engine fails, then game over," he added. National security and operational control cutters will be able to accommodate two Eagle Eyes in their hangars along with one H-65 helicopter, Schmidt said. The contract with Bell Helicopter calls for 45 aircraft. The VUAV can fly 100 nautical miles for about three hours. Its primary duty will be to identify boats as possible targets for boarding, Schmidt said. Training for operators will begin this year. The Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control has set stringent rules for the qualifications for the pilots in order to minimize the risk for in-air collisions with other aircraft, Schmidt said. For example, the FAA is requiring the operators to be instrument rated pilots. |
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