Coast Guard's next-generation medium-endurance cutter offers networking, and other advanced technologies
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Coast Guard is at times under-recognized despite being increasingly in demand, as threats to the homeland continue to mount due to the growing global reach of major power rivals. Kris Osborn at The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
2 March 2021 -- The Coast Guard must patrol littoral and deep-water areas, a task assigned to the medium-endurance cutters. These have been in service for decades, are falling behind in sensor technologies, and are badly in need of replacement.
There is where the Coast Guard’s larger emerging future Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) enters the equation; it is more capable, better networked, and has more advanced technology than any other medium-endurance cutter than has ever existed.
At 360 feet, the OPC is much larger than the 210-foot and 270-foot medium endurance cutters they are replacing and also engineered with an entirely new sphere of command and control systems, sensor technologies and networking applications.
Related: Lockheed Martin to provide ship C4ISR capability for Coast Guard national security cutter
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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
