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Coast Guard outlines aviation recapitalization plan, long‑range unmanned systems and need to recapitalize command‑and‑control aircraft
Summary
The Coast Guard told the subcommittee the MH‑60 helicopter will remain central to rotary operations while the service pursues a mixed aviation fleet, long‑range uncrewed systems and recapitalization of aging command‑and‑control aircraft; members pressed about a $50 million Gulfstream addition in the FY25 spend plan.
Admiral Lundy told House appropriators the MH‑60 remains the backbone of the Coast Guard’s rotary fleet and that the service is conducting an analysis of alternatives to determine the right future mix of fixed‑wing, rotary and long‑range uncrewed aircraft systems.
The Coast Guard is working with Customs and Border Protection on long‑range unmanned systems; Lundy said the MQ‑9 is the model currently operated in partnership with CBP and that long‑range UAS will be a “key component” going forward. He described ongoing work on an aviation strategy called for in the 2023 Coast Guard authorization and said details remain under analysis.
Lundy also described two military long‑range command‑and‑control aircraft in the Coast Guard fleet (C‑37 variants) as aging and approaching obsolescence, with avionics and communications increasingly unreliable. Committee members raised a last‑minute FY25 spend‑plan inclusion of a new Gulfstream G550 (described at hearing as a Gulfstream 5) with an estimated cost of $50 million for the department; Representative Underwood asked whether political direction influenced that purchase. Lundy did not state he had been directed to buy the aircraft and emphasized the operational need for secure, reliable transport and communications for senior leaders.
Why it matters: Members emphasized risk from operating legacy airframes beyond safe service lives and sought specifics on timing and resources needed to recapitalize both crewed platforms and long‑endurance unmanned systems. The committee asked for additional briefings and budget details in follow up.
Discussion versus action: The hearing included committee questioning and a commitment from the Coast Guard to provide further information; no procurement decisions or authorizations were made on the record.
Quantities and clarifications in testimony: the commandant described grounding some MH‑60 hulls that exceeded recommended high‑time limits and noted the need to acquire new hulls rather than high‑time transferred aircraft; the Coast Guard described ongoing analysis of a mixed fleet and expected increases in long‑range unmanned assets.
