Border security

The U.S. Coast Guard May Be Flying a Unique Stealthy Spy Plane

When you think of U.S. military and stealth aircraft what probably springs to mind is the U.S. Air Force and planes such as the F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor, and B-2 Spirit. But low-observable technology isn't limited just to cutting an aircraft's radar signature and can involve other factors, such reducing aircraft's infrared or visual profiles or cutting how much noise it makes in flight. As it turns out, the U.S. Coast Guard – which is technically a uniformed military service, despite not being part of the Department of Defense – has actually been a pretty serious operator of acoustically stealthy designs based on powered gliders, culminating in its most recent project, the Manned Covert Surveillance Aircraft (MCSA).