Application of Tiltrotor Technology to U.S. Coast Guard Missions.
Abstract
The Congress of the United States has directed the U.S. Coast Guard to determine the potential offered by tiltrotor aircraft technology, more specifically the V-22, for three Coast Guard functions; Search and Rescue (SAR), Law Enforcement/Maritime Interdiction (LE/MI), and Marine Environmental Protection (MEP). This study examines potential employment scenarios of the V-22 in the identified mission components, measures the operational effectiveness of the V-22, and determines the manpower and operating costs associated with those employments. The effectiveness and costs of the V-22 are compared with the effectiveness and costs of the four aircraft models which the USCG expects to employ in 1998. These four aircraft are the HH-6OJ, the HH-65A, the HC-13OH, and the HU-25A/B/C and represent the baseline aircraft alternatives for this analysis. In general, the V-22 offers some distinct advantages over the baseline helicopter fleet due to its ability to cruise at fixed-wing airspeeds, to operate at greater distances and to transport more cargo/personnel than either the HH-65 or the HH-60. In addition, the fixed-wing capabilities of the V-22 are, for the most part, equal to or slightly better than the HU-25. The greater speed of the HU-25 is generally offset by the greater operational radius and the mission flexibility provided by the dual role (helicopter and fixed-wing) capacity of the V-22. These advantages become marginal, however, when examined in the context of the historical USCG employment of aircraft in SAR, LE/MI, and MEP. The study also indicates that tiltrotor technology would substantially increase USCG operating costs over current aircraft while having a negligible effect on manpower costs of the baseline fleet.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA294810
Entities
People
- A. Roe
- David L. Hall
- J. Casler
- J. Whitacker
- T. Cooney