Aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Olivia Hooker in Pascagoula, Mississippi, PDW and Coast Guard personnel recently completed preliminary shipboard testing of the C100 Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS). The evaluation demonstrated reliable aircraft performance in the cutter’s active radio frequency (RF) environment while successfully validating shipboard launch and recovery. Shipboard operation presents unique challenges, including confined launch and recovery areas, dynamic vessel motion, and dense radio-frequency activity that can impact communications and navigation. In recent months, the U.S. Coast Guard has awarded PDW two contracts for C100 systems, payloads, and operator training, establishing the foundation for an operational assessment focused on evaluating mission-ready unmanned aircraft for maritime operations. Following the initial delivery of systems, the relationship has continued to build through customer support, shipboard validation, and operator training as the Coast Guard evaluates the platform for potential future use across various missions. That progression recently reached another milestone aboard a fast response cutter (FRC) in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where Coast Guard personnel and PDW engineers conducted preliminary shipboard testing to evaluate how the C100 performs in a demanding maritime operating environment.
“The measure of a system isn’t when it’s delivered. It’s when operators begin putting it to work. That philosophy has shaped PDW’s growing relationship with the United States Coast Guard. Welcoming the Coast Guard to our growing customer base further demonstrates the C100’s ability to perform across diverse environments and mission sets, from the battlefield to the maritime domain, without compromising reliability or capability. Our goal has never been to build an aircraft for a single mission. It’s to build a robotic system operators can trust wherever the mission takes them. We believe this demonstration reinforced that the C100 can perform reliably in the demanding maritime environment while giving Coast Guard crews the flexibility to take on a wide range of missions from a single platform. That’s exactly how modern capability should work.” said PDW CEO James Slider.
The evaluation was requested by the Coast Guard to determine whether the C100 could safely operate aboard a FRC while the vessel’s primary radio frequency emitters remained fully energized — an important step toward broader maritime integration. The testing also provided an opportunity to validate launch and recovery procedures, communications reliability, and overall aircraft performance before formal New Equipment Training. The results demonstrated reliable aircraft performance throughout the event. During testing, the C100 experienced no electromagnetic interference, communications degradation, flight anomalies, or navigation issues while operating within the cutter’s active RF environment. The aircraft also completed successful launches and recoveries from the vessel’s all-steel flight deck. Beyond validating electromagnetic compatibility, the evaluation became a demonstration of how the C100 could support real-world Coast Guard operations. Following the successful electromagnetic interference (EMI) evaluation, Coast Guard operators used the C100 to conduct a 360-degree mast inspection, inspect the cutter’s hull, and provide aerial overwatch during an active towing evolution.
One inspection that would normally require launching a small boat and consume a significant portion of the crew’s day was completed in less than 10 minutes while collecting high-quality imagery for maintenance assessment. Additional testing from inside the ship’s bridge demonstrated reliable command-and-control communications and stable video transmission throughout operations. Just as importantly, much of the flying was performed by Coast Guard personnel themselves. Operators highlighted the C100’s rapid setup, ease of operation, stable flight characteristics, reliable communications, and successful shipboard launch and recovery. The aircraft was assembled, synchronized with the Ground Control Station, calibrated, and airborne in less than 10 minutes. The crew also expressed appreciation for PDW’s support ahead of formal training, underscoring the company’s commitment to enabling customer success beyond product delivery. As unmanned systems continue expanding their role across maritime security, search and rescue, infrastructure inspection, and operational awareness, successful adoption will depend on more than capable aircraft alone. It requires responsive partnerships that help operators transition new technology into trusted operational capability. For PDW, that remains the objective: not simply delivering unmanned systems, but helping customers build trusted capability that can be put to work from day one.
