Coast Guard Drones

The Coast Guard is planning to purchase and deploy unarmed reconnaissance ScanEagle drones on their cutters. These eight foot long, sixteen foot wingspan drones serve as eyes in the sky over a wide range for the cutter, typically seven hours a day, nine days out of ten. "The drone is sent aloft by a pneumatic launcher and recovered using a hook and arresting wire." They are used primarily for drug interdiction but can be used for a variety of purposes.