U.S. Coast Guard Selects Gulfstream G700 for Command Aircraft
The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation a firm-fixed-price contract to supply two new G700 Long Range Command and Control Aircraft (LRCCA), citing the company’s exclusive capability to meet mission and schedule requirements.
The contract, authorized under FAR 6.302-1, bypasses open competition due to Gulfstream’s status as the only qualified manufacturer able to deliver aircraft with the Coast Guard’s required configuration, communications systems, and timeline.
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s justification document, the Coast Guard intends to procure two G700s by the end of 2025. The aircraft will replace its aging Gulfstream V (C-37A), which entered service in 2002 and now faces escalating maintenance costs beyond its 20-year warranty, and complement the existing G550 (C-37B) acquired in 2020.
The document describes the G700 as an “in-production” platform providing increased range, speed, and modern avionics. It will be outfitted with a secure and non-secure communications suite, next-generation satellite connectivity, and cabin modifications for command and administrative use.
“The LRCCA fleet ensures Homeland Security and Coast Guard operational commanders can address mission requirements across domestic and international areas of responsibility, including reliable access to secure communication suites during principal movements,” the justification states.
The Coast Guard’s approval cites 10 U.S.C. § 3204(a)(1), allowing contracts with “only one responsible source” when no other provider can satisfy the agency’s needs without undue cost or delay. Officials determined that introducing another aircraft manufacturer would cause “substantial duplication of cost to the Government and unacceptable delays in fulfilling the mission.”
The service has operated Gulfstream aircraft for decades and invested heavily in infrastructure, logistics, and training tailored to the company’s platforms. The report notes that “logistical pipelines with the OEM are already in place,” minimizing downtime and allowing a “shortest transition period” from the G550 to the G700.
The Coast Guard also concluded that Gulfstream alone holds the proprietary technical data required for secure command-and-control communications, cabin integration, and structural modifications. Other vendors could not meet U.S. security and airworthiness requirements in the time available.
The contracting officer is required to confirm that the final price is “fair and reasonable,” using government cost estimates, historical data, and comparisons to similar government and commercial purchases.
The justification also states that competition was “neither available nor feasible” and that direct procurement from Gulfstream “is not merely the preferred path, but the sole viable means” to meet the program’s requirements.
The new aircraft will serve as long-range platforms capable of secure communications and rapid deployment during crisis response or senior official transport.