An Cosantóir

25 portion of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, over which the Government of Ireland exercises exclusive resource ex- ploitation rights (fisheries and hydrocarbon extraction). It also represents a portion of sea through which any would-be criminal / smuggling enterprise would need to transit, in order to arrive at Irish Shores. Additionally, it is the sea space where the Irish State would be required to mount a Maritime Counter Terrorism (MCT) response in the event of a terrorist act. Related to this are the concomitant non-security tasks of Search & Rescue and Environmental Pollution (detection and reporting) to which IAC MPAs routinely respond. The MPA is man- dated to survey and record all activity within the Irish Area of Interest (AOI). The most common type of craft presenting in our waters are Fishing Vessels (FVs), and FVs are accordingly, afforded significant attention. However commercial vessels of all types (leisure craft, research & exploration ships and foreign military ves- sels) are routinely encountered and surveilled. The information is processed and made available to a variety of stakeholders: • Irish Naval Service Operations • Irish Naval Service Fisheries Monitoring Centre • Sea Fisheries Protection Agency • North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission • Irish Customs & Revenue Service • Maritime Analysis & Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N Lisbon) • Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) • An Garda Siochana • Various Civilian Research Institutions Today MDSO flights conform to one of four basic pro- files, two of which may be described as routine, the re- mainder as 'on request'. The most common flight is that of a 'low level' profile where an aircraft departs its base at Casement Aerodrome (ICAO designator of EIME) and traverses the country at altitude. Even while it is over the midlands the search radar and other passive sensors are collecting and collating seaborne targets from hundreds of miles ahead of the aircraft. During any given mission, the aircraft typically focuses on two of the eleven Irish and long range communications, was a quantum leap over anything that had gone before... They also boast- ed a 'marinised' airframe better capable of operating in the saline and occasional turbulent lower altitude North Atlantic skies in addition to significantly enhanced range/endurance with the ability to carry and deploy life rafts and search flares. A significant midlife upgrade was undertaken in 2007 / 2008 during which the legacy CASA Tactical Data Management System and Litton V5 radar was replaced with the Airbus Military Fully Integrat- ed Tactical System, supporting a Telephonics Ocean-eye search radar and FLIR Systems Saphire Electro Optical sensor. Other cockpit features such as EGPWS / FMS / TCAS II were also installed. These two aircraft remain in service to the present day and their roles have expanded well beyond what was originally envisaged. International and complex Air Ambulance Missions, Logistical Supply Flights to Defence Forces peacekeeping overseas missions, Ministerial Air Transport duties, Repatriation/ Extradition Flights and Parachute Operations feature reg - ularly and are routinely interspersed with routine MDSO flights. When first delivered MDSO activity accounted for 90% of CN235 flight hour output. That gradually shifted over the course of the subsequent 25 years to give a 72/28 split by 2017. This ratio recently moved to 60/40 on foot of the global pandemic. The Irish Economic Exclusive Zone encompasses a vast AIRBORNE MARITIME DEFENCE & SECURITY OPERATIONS Interim but dedicated maritime surveillance aircraft capability. Transport aircraft occasionally utilised in the maritime environment. Second interim maritime surveillance aircraft.

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