By Jeff Hampton
The Virginian-Pilot

ELIZABETH CITY, Va. — Already famous for dramatic rescues, the Coast Guard air station now boasts three C-130 aircraft upgraded with new infrared cameras and radar systems to better find distressed boaters on the dark ocean in the worst weather.

The last of the three HC-130J Super Hercules were delivered in May. On Wednesday, a ceremony marked the decommissioning of a temporary unit formed five years ago to integrate the HC-130J Super Hercules into flying rescue missions with trained pilots, a supply of spare parts and updated maintenance manuals.

Plans were to fit six aircraft with new electronics by now, but the $125 million budget was spent before the project was done, Capt. Doug Menders, aviation program manager for the Coast Guard, said Thursday. Delays and cost overruns drained the funding.

During the ceremony, Rear Adm. Ronald J. Rabago, program executive officer for the Coast Guard, reaffirmed the Coast Guard's commitment to get the last three C-130s upgraded.

"Our plan is to do all six," Rabago said.

It was the Aircraft Projects Office that was formed to integrate Lockheed Martin's C-130J model into Coast Guard operations. The J model can travel 400 mph with a range of nearly 6,000 miles, according to statistics on the Coast Guard's Web site.

The older H models top out at about 320 mph with a range of about 3,500 miles.

The aircraft with the electronics upgrades are called "missionized" by the Coast Guard. Features include an infrared camera mounted on the nose and 360-degree radar mounted on the belly. Both systems feed video to monitors in the cockpit.

In 2003, the aircraft were scheduled to go to units on the Pacific coast. But because the H models were due for replacement and East Coast units have responsibility for ice patrol in Newfoundland and need the greater capacity, the aircraft remained in Elizabeth City, said Cmdr. Timothy Gilbride, executive officer of the Aircraft Project Office.

The planes are equipped with six-blade propellers. The older propellers have four blades.

"It can climb higher and faster than the H model, yet take off and land on shorter runways," Coast Guard spokeswoman Laura Williams said in a news release.

With its new electronics package and the better flying capability, the HC-130J Super Hercules is among the best aircraft available for its missions, Gilbride said.

The Coast Guard has used the C-130 family of aircraft since 1959.

About the HC-130J Super Hercules

Speed The J model can travel 400 mph with a range of nearly 6,000 miles, according to statistics on the Coast Guard's Web site.

Features An infrared camera mounted on the nose and 360-degree radar mounted on the belly.

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