By the USCG Press Office
CGNR 2002 – previously configured with the legacy system – was outfitted with Minotaur software as well as Coast Guard-specific integrated radar, sensors and communication systems in a process called missionization.
The USCG currently has 16 HC-130J aircraft in operational use or in active production. In addition to continuing Minotaur missionization efforts on new aircraft, the service plans to complete a future block upgrade for all its HC-130J aircraft.
The USCG HC-130Js are the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) largest airlift asset, providing critical support to DHS partners in addition to carrying out many Coast Guard missions, including search and rescue, drug and migrant interdiction, cargo and personnel transport, and maritime stewardship. The aircraft is capable of serving as an on-scene command and control platform or as a surveillance platform with the means to detect, classify and identify objects then share that information with operational forces.
The USCG formally decided to integrate Minotaur into the HC-130J and HC-144 fleets in September 2013. Minotaur incorporates sensors; radar; and C4ISR equipment and enables aircrews to gather and process surveillance information that can be transmitted to other platforms and units during flight. The system was originally developed by the US Navy and is used across multiple US Defense and Homeland Security department platforms.
