Air power: Coast Guard testing next generation of ice rescue boats.

• Position: SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS

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DETROIT -- Coast Guard personnel conducting ice rescues on the frozen rivers and lakes near Detroit will have a new specialized airboat to try out this winter.

Coast Guard Station Saginaw River, Mich., is the first to receive a new version of the special purpose craft airboat, which is built by Midwest Rescue Airboats LLC of Lawrence, Kan.

The Ice Capabilities Center of Excellence at the station will be conducting training and testing of the new 22-foot craft after the nearby lakes and rivers freeze up. The Coast Guard wants to upgrade its fleet of ice rescue watercraft. The older models are cold and uncomfortable, and are basically open deck pleasure boats converted into airboats.

The new boats will be fully enclosed, heated, have more room to transport victims and equipment, and have shock absorbent seats. They can carry up to seven crew members.

"We get a lot of back injuries with our guys pounding over the ice, as you can imagine," said Cmdr. David Beck, Coast Guard Detroit sector response chief. "This one is built like a tank."

The company touts its cabin as having a "car-like atmosphere." The water-tight compartment is designed to thwart swamping and sinking in the event of a breech. Older models use a temporary plastic cover that only serves to keep the wind off crewmembers.

Ideally, search-and-rescue missions on ice-bound waters require helicopters. But foggy...