Coast guard to deploy UAV.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs

Bell Helicopter will begin building the Coast Guard's fleet of Eagle Eye vertical unmanned aerial vehicles this month, with the first to be delivered by early 2007, said Lt. Cmdr. Todd Schmidt, Coast Guard UAV platform manager, at an Institute for Defense and Government Advancement seminar.

The VUAV is a crucial part of the Integrated Deepwater System to modernize the service's hardware, Schmidt said. "Without the VUAV, the system won't be able to function," he added.

Similar to the Marine Corps' V-22 Osprey, the Eagle Eye will be able to fly in helicopter or fixed-wing mode. The Coast Guard chose the design because the pitching and rolling on cutter flight decks would have made it difficult for skid-landings. The Eagle Eye also has a low center of gravity, which will make landings easier, Schmidt said. Unlike the Osprey, the Eagle Eye will have only one engine and no hydraulic system. This allows for ease of maintenance, but "if that engine fails...