Editing United States Coast Guard (section)

===Aircraft===
[[File:Coast Guard Airframe Fleet.jpg|thumb|Every aircraft in the U.S. Coast Guard fleet in June 2024. From left: [[HC-130J]], [[Alenia C-27J Spartan|C-27J]], [[EADS HC-144 Ocean Sentry|HC-144]], [[C-37B]], [[MH-60T]], [[Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin|MH-65E]]]]
The Coast Guard operates approximately 201 [[List of active United States military aircraft#Coast Guard|fixed and rotary wing aircraft]]<ref name="uscg.mil1"/> from 24 [[United States Coast Guard Air Stations|Coast Guard Air Stations]] throughout the contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Most of these air stations are tenant activities at civilian airports, several of which are former Air Force Bases and Naval Air Stations, although several are also independent military facilities. Coast Guard Air Stations are also located on active Naval Air Stations, [[Air National Guard]] bases, and Army Air Fields.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

Coast Guard aviators receive Primary (fixed-wing) and Advanced (fixed or rotary-wing) flight training with their Navy and Marine Corps counterparts at [[NAS Whiting Field]], Florida, and [[NAS Corpus Christi]], Texas, and are considered [[United States Naval Aviator|Naval Aviators]]. After receiving [[Naval Aviator insignia|Naval Aviator Wings]], Coast Guard pilots, with the exception of those slated to fly the HC-130, report to [[Coast Guard Aviation Training Center|U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center, Mobile, Alabama]] to receive 6–12 weeks of specialized training in the Coast Guard fleet aircraft they will operate. HC-130 pilots report to [[Little Rock AFB]], Arkansas, for joint C-130 training under the auspices of the [[314th Airlift Wing]] of the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]].{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

Fixed-wing aircraft operate from Air Stations on long-duration missions. Helicopters operate from Air Stations and can deploy on a number of different cutters. Helicopters can rescue people or intercept vessels smuggling migrants or narcotics. Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the Coast Guard has developed a more prominent role in national security and now has armed helicopters operating in high-risk areas for the purpose of maritime law enforcement and anti-terrorism.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

The Coast Guard is now developing an [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)]] program that will utilize the [[MQ-9 Guardian|MQ-9 Reaper]] platform for homeland security and search/rescue operations. To support this endeavor, the Coast Guard has partnered with the Navy and [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]] to study existing/emerging unmanned aerial system (UAS) capabilities within their respective organizations. As these systems mature, research and operational experience gleaned from this joint effort will enable the Coast Guard to develop its own cutter and land-based UAS capabilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gocoastguard.com/about-the-coast-guard/experience-the-coast-guard/coast-guardsman-pioneers-unmanned-aerial-0|title=COAST GUARDSMAN PIONEERS UNMANNED AERIAL SURVEILLANCE|publisher=gocoastguard.com|date=2021|access-date=21 January 2023|archive-date=22 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122134510/https://www.gocoastguard.com/about-the-coast-guard/experience-the-coast-guard/coast-guardsman-pioneers-unmanned-aerial-0|url-status=dead}}</ref>