tinpis
4th Jun 2006, 01:21
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Top End border patrol planes doubled
By PAUL JACKSON
04jun06
MORE details have been revealed about the $1 billion maritime border protection plan that takes in the Territory's Top End waters.
Surveillance Australia will put more large aircraft into the air and they will have a hefty range of new electronic equipment on board to search for illegal fishing boats, people smugglers, drug runners and missing vessels.
The aircraft will also be able to monitor other sea and air incursions in Australia's exclusive economic zone.
Acting in both civil and military roles, the aircraft will also keep an eye on suspected terrorist activity.
The border protection scheme will also be the world's biggest civil coastwatch operation.
For the operation, Surveillance Australia will double its aircraft fleet of Bombardier Dash aircraft to 10.
The planes will be fitted with new-generation electro-optics and sensors which will have a 96 per cent probability of finding targets 50 nautical miles away.
The new electronic equipment will have greater range and enable crews to detect significantly smaller targets.
The aircraft will provide 24-hour all-weather surveillance in the economic zone extending 200 nautical miles from the coast and each aircraft will have a search capacity of more than 110,000sq km on a single mission.
The Dash 8 fleet would include four longer-range versions for longer missions.
As reported earlier this month pilotless planes will also patrol Territory waters in the fight against illegal fishermen.
Coastwatch will operate the so-called drones by remote control, probably from Darwin.
But officials in Canberra have declined to give details.
They said where the UAVs --- unmanned aerial vehicles -- would be stationed was "classified information".
The Federal Government will spend $9 million over the next two years trialling the drones.
The drones, already used by the US military in war zones, will carry radar and hi-tech sensory equipment able to spot and film suspect boats at high altitudes.
The planes are part of the Federal Government's desperate search to find cheaper ways to hold back the incursion of illegal fishing boats in to northern waters.
UAVs can be as light as 25kg and be launched by hand or catapults.
http://www.ntnews.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,19357570,00.html
Top End border patrol planes doubled
By PAUL JACKSON
04jun06
MORE details have been revealed about the $1 billion maritime border protection plan that takes in the Territory's Top End waters.
Surveillance Australia will put more large aircraft into the air and they will have a hefty range of new electronic equipment on board to search for illegal fishing boats, people smugglers, drug runners and missing vessels.
The aircraft will also be able to monitor other sea and air incursions in Australia's exclusive economic zone.
Acting in both civil and military roles, the aircraft will also keep an eye on suspected terrorist activity.
The border protection scheme will also be the world's biggest civil coastwatch operation.
For the operation, Surveillance Australia will double its aircraft fleet of Bombardier Dash aircraft to 10.
The planes will be fitted with new-generation electro-optics and sensors which will have a 96 per cent probability of finding targets 50 nautical miles away.
The new electronic equipment will have greater range and enable crews to detect significantly smaller targets.
The aircraft will provide 24-hour all-weather surveillance in the economic zone extending 200 nautical miles from the coast and each aircraft will have a search capacity of more than 110,000sq km on a single mission.
The Dash 8 fleet would include four longer-range versions for longer missions.
As reported earlier this month pilotless planes will also patrol Territory waters in the fight against illegal fishermen.
Coastwatch will operate the so-called drones by remote control, probably from Darwin.
But officials in Canberra have declined to give details.
They said where the UAVs --- unmanned aerial vehicles -- would be stationed was "classified information".
The Federal Government will spend $9 million over the next two years trialling the drones.
The drones, already used by the US military in war zones, will carry radar and hi-tech sensory equipment able to spot and film suspect boats at high altitudes.
The planes are part of the Federal Government's desperate search to find cheaper ways to hold back the incursion of illegal fishing boats in to northern waters.
UAVs can be as light as 25kg and be launched by hand or catapults.
http://www.ntnews.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,19357570,00.html