An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir November 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 12 | By GuY WARNER T he Irish Air Corps first mounted maritime patrol duties in February 1977 as part of Ireland's responsibilities as a mem- ber of the European Economic Community. The venerable Dh Doves of the General Purpose Flight were the original aircraft used; wholly inadequate for fishery protection or the detection of pollution, drugs smuggling or arms trafficking within Ireland's designated economic zone (EZ), which, with an area of 132,000 nm² (440,000 km²), is five times the size of Ireland and com- prises some 16% of EU waters. A leased Beechcraft Super King Air quickly replaced the Dove in March 1977, with a second in 1978. These were purchased in 1978 and allocated to the Maritime Squadron, no 1 Support Wing in 1980. Conditions for the crews flying box pattern patrols were much better than in the Dove but had little in the way of comfort. They were repainted in high visibility white and Day-Glo red in 1983 and served on maritime operations until 1991, when both aircraft reached the manufacturer's 5,000-hour safety limit for low-level flights over the ocean. In 1990 a DoD Maritime Aircraft Evaluation Board recommend- ed the purchase of two CASA (now Airbus Group) CN 235MPs from the manufacturer in Seville. These were ordered in April 1991 at a cost of €55.3m, half of which was to be provided by the EU on con- dition that 90% of the flying hours would be on maritime patrols over the Irish sector of the European EZ. Pending delivery, a CN 235-100 was leased from CASA to serve with Maritime Squadron. While not specifically equipped for the role, the nose-mounted, weather radar was capable of detect- ing surface activity in the patrol area. It entered service in June 1991 and flew a full range of missions, until the arrival of the two purpose-built aircraft in December 1994. From 2001, following an internal structural reorganisa- tion, the aircraft were allocated to 101 Squadron, No 1 Operations Wing. It is a roomy aircraft, crewed by a pilot, co-pilot, two airborne sensor and radar operators (SAROs), a signals operator and a photographer, with a galley and toilet just aft of the flight deck and eight seats in a rest area in mid-cabin. On the starboard side there are twin stations for the mission consoles. Aft of these are two large bubble windows, port and starboard, and, behind the rear bulkhead, stowage on the cargo ramp for SAR equipment, including up to six air-droppable life rafts. In 2006, the aircraft received a €12.5m mid-life upgrade at Seville that considerably enhanced their capabilities with the introduction of the Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS). This included the replacement of the Litton APS-504 (V5) radar by a Telephonics Ocean Eye AN/APS-143(V)3 system and a new Star SAFIRE® III forward-looking, electro-optical, infrared (FLIR) turret that incorporates a gyro-stabilised video camera system and a powerful spotter scope. They are also equipped with the SAAB Aerotech RS4 Automatic Identification System (AIS), which inter- rogates a vessel's transponder for information such as its name and unique maritime mobile service identity number, destination and cargo. Not all vessels are fitted with AIS, and in any case a visual identification of 'targets of interest' is necessary, with pho- tographs being taken by a hand-held Nikon D2X digital camera, slaved to the GPS to ensure that all images are of evidential qual- ity should they be required in court. The continued health of Ireland's economy and coastal communi- SquAdrON Flight Sergeant Gerry Mooney studies the radar screen.

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