A TV crew from “Coast Guard Alaska” captures the conversation of an aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, as they gather in front of one of the station’s upgraded MH-60T helicopters.
Upgraded aviation assets highlighted in “Coast Guard Alaska”
It is unlikely that a helicopter would be nominated for an award in a supporting actor role on a TV show, but in The Weather Channel’s new series, “Coast Guard Alaska,” the service’s MH-60T Medium Range Recovery helicopter is showcased for the integral role it plays in helping the Coast Guard save lives.
Part of the Coast Guard Acquisition Directorate’s portfolio of recapitalization projects, the helicopter is used by the men and women at Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, whom the show follows as they respond to emergencies, train and raise their families. According to Michael Dingley, The Weather Channel’s senior vice president of content and development, the MH-60T in particular has become something of a star on the show.
“Filming aboard the helicopters, the Coast Guard and the helicopter crews specifically have been fantastic,” Dingley said. “The helicopter has really been like a secondary character, and we’ve even incorporated it into the graphic that we use for ‘Coast Guard Alaska.’”
A series airing on The Weather Channel is a good indication that the weather is going to play a major role in the action. The formula that drives the show involves people, the weather and the way the two interact. The weather’s presence on screen is a part of what made the show appealing for Al Roker Entertainment, the company that produces the series.
“Alaska and the Coast Guard, it’s a true-blue brand, a combination of good people doing good things, with the weather basically being a character as a backdrop,” Dingley said.
The missions the Coast Guard carries out in Alaska especially lend themselves to television, but all parties involved know that, with the Coast Guard, operations come first. Air Station Kodiak Commanding Officer Capt. William Deal was adamant that the show couldn’t interfere with the station’s operations, and the channel obliged. “We wanted to make the show a fly on the wall as much as possible to make you think you’re there,” Dingley said.
The format appears to be resonating with audiences, he added.
“Response has been nothing short of very strong and positive from the viewers,” Dingley said. “Our ratings have increased in double digits at times. And we’re seeing folks who don’t normally come to The Weather Channel for this type of content. We are thrilled with the performance of the show and the whole experience of working with the Coast Guard.”
Aviation Assets Key on the Frontier
Cmdr. Joe Deer, Air Station Kodiak’s executive officer, is well aware of the unique challenges that Alaska’s geography presents and the resulting need for well-equipped surface and air assets to carry out the Coast Guard’s missions there. “There is not a lot of infrastructure in Alaska, so we are more dependent on our assets,” Deer said. “Tools for increased situational awareness are key.”
Mission execution is a particularly high-stakes endeavor in Alaska, a part of the country that most people will only dream about seeing firsthand.
“Alaska is vast and remote. On the edge of the frontier up here, there is no messing around. What we do is very serious business,” Deer said. “The tools that the Acquisition Directorate gives us to do our mission are just critical. And in the end, they save lives.”
The aviation assets used at the air station include the HC-130H Long Range Surveillance aircraft, the MH-65 Short Range Recovery helicopter and the MH-60T. These assets have recently been modernized through the Acquisition Directorate’s aviation recapitalization program, enabling pilots and aircrews to more effectively carry out their missions.
“The upgrades from the Acquisition Directorate give us greatly improved situational awareness, improved flight direction and modern electronic upgrades,” Deer said. “They really increase the safety of our crews, as the ability to find and get to people quickly is paramount.”
MH-60T Upgrades and Sustainment
A number of upgrades to the HC-130H have been completed, including installation of state-of-the-market surface search radar, an airborne digital communications system for asset tracking and long-range satellite communication capabilities critical to safe operations in the vast Alaska operating area, as well as a Rockwell Collins DF-430 direction-finding system.
In addition to improved capabilities, the Acquisition Directorate’s aviation program provides improved sustainment for assets, said Aviation Program Manager Capt. Jim Martin.
“If you look at the helicopter projects for both the H-60 and H-65, we call them conversion and sustainment projects. Not only are we adding capability that is immediately helpful for the aircrew flying it, but we are also enabling the Coast Guard to sustain that aircraft for much longer,” Martin said. “And with fewer maintenance man-hours required and fewer parts removed for repair than was previously the case, it will allow us to sustain the assets well into the 2020s.”
Upgrades to the MH-60T include a modernized cockpit with new avionics that share a common architecture with the U.S. Army's Blackhawk helicopter, a new electro-optical/infrared sensor system, and new dynamic components to extend the aircraft’s service life. To date, 23 of the service’s 42 MH-60Ts have been upgraded with new avionics suites, and 20 MH-60Ts have also been upgraded with the enhanced electro-optical/infrared sensor system. The four MH-60T helicopters at Air Station Kodiak have received both.
Opportunity for Transparency
For the Acquisition Directorate, “Coast Guard Alaska” serves to highlight the benefits of the service’s hard work to deliver assets that help the men and women in the field execute their many missions.
“We are delivering new capabilities and increasing the sustainability of our assets that are going to serve the Coast Guard for the next 15 to 20 years,” Martin said. “Our operators, like those aircrews at Air Station Kodiak, can fly safer and they can spend more time concentrating on mission execution.”
One of the Coast Guard’s top priorities is to recapitalize its fleet of cutters and aircraft while simultaneously maintaining front line operations—a priority aptly illustrated by “Coast Guard Alaska,” said Cmdr. Sean Carroll, the commanding officer of the Coast Guard’s Motion Picture and Television Office.
“We are going through a real renaissance right now, where we are reinvesting in and recapitalizing our assets,” Carroll said. “It was a great opportunity with the show. Just as the air station was transitioning to the MH-60T model, The Weather Channel was able to put their TV cameras on board as well as share images collected from the MH-60T’s sophisticated electro-optical, infrared and hoist-mounted cameras to show the American public what they are getting for their tax dollars. That kind of transparency is invaluable.”
The show also provides a means for letting the American public know that the Coast Guard is responding to the needs of the nation overall, Carroll added.
“We are entering an austere budget time and there is a clear imperative for transparency in how we, and all federal agencies, conduct our missions,” Carroll said. “‘Coast Guard Alaska’ can offer the American public a real glimpse into the everyday jobs of our people, the aircraft and assets they use to do their missions and what they mean to the country.”
Check out The Weather Channel's “Coast Guard Alaska” website for more information on the series. For more information on the Coast Guard Acquisition Directorate or the MH-60T helicopter, please visit their website on USCG.mil.
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