Coastwatch Enters New Jet Era

Though Coastwatch has been operated by Customs since 1988, the present primary contractor for the Australian Customs Service Coastal Surveillance Contract, Skywest, did not take on the aerial side of operations until December 1990, when a $90m, five year contract was signed. Skywest has since built up an efficient aerial surveillance fleet, which it commenced operating in January this year and which has since grown to include the three new Israeli Aircraft Industries SeaScan jet surveillance aircraft. These effectively give Coastwatch its greatest ever degree of flexibility, providing a rapid deployment capability and having already allowed it to expand operations further out from the mainland and also into southern Australian waters.

The SeaScan is indeed an impressive, state-of-the-art surveillance aircraft. Based on the IAI 1124 Westwind twin turbofan business jet, the first generation SeaScans were developed for the Israeli Navy as specialist maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The Coastwatch aircraft, however, belong to an updated second generation developed also by IAI with various systems updates and other improvements. The three Coastwatch aircraft are ex-bizjet Westwinds purchased secondhand in the US before being flown to Israel for update modifications. Fears that the Gulf War and Scud missiles might impede the delivery schedule proved unfounded, and the first SeaScan arrived in Australia in late February and has now entered operational service. , The Australian SeaScans are equipped with a comprehensive avionics suite directly suited to their intended surveillance role. Equipment includes a Litton tactical/search radar fully integrated with a forward looking infra-red (FLIR) sensor (which gives the nose a somewhat ungainly, almost Platypus-like appearance) and long range navigation equipment. The SeaScans are intended to stay on station for at least 3-4 hours, flown by a flightcrew of two with two specialist electronics equipment operators. Besides extending services further south, the SeaScans will undertake operations further out from the Australian mainland to the Coral Sea, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, and the Cocos and Christmas Islands; this is primarily for the detection of illegal fishing operations. The Seascans therefore represent the aerial frontline of the Coastwatch organisation, extending the area of surveillance and providing a more effective detection service.

But the SeaScan does not by any means supersede Coastwatch’s 12 Aerocommander Shrikes and three GAF Nomad Searchmasters, rather it complements their existing services. Whereas the SeaScan is primarily tasked with longer ranging missions, the Shrikes are tasked with coastal zone visual surveillance while the Searchmasters under take daylight electronic surveillance, for which they utilise their Litton 360 deg search radar equipment housed in nose radomes. Coastwatch also uses one Aerospatiale Ecureul helicopter operated by Queensland based Chopperline at Horn Island, on the tip of Cape York.

The Coastwatch fleet flies mainly out of primary bases at Broome, Darwin, Cairns and Horn Island, but also from somewhat remote landing strips when required. A typical Coastwatch mission involves surveillance of either the coastline or open seas, with actual runs and timings determined from information provided by client government agencies who identify “high risk areas”, using either their own intelligence, past experience or information from the public.

The surveillance task for aircrew is often quite difficult and demanding, particularly when visual sightings of boats in dense mangroves must be made or visibility is low. Should a ‘target’ be sighted, a low level photographic pass is made for identification purposes, and apprehension of offenders (using Customs, Defence, police and/or other agencies) is then planned, with Coastwatch tracking the discovered vessels. Such has been the success of Coastwatch operations since August 1988 that about 200 apprehensions for illegal activities have already been made, over 100 Indonesian fishing vessels have been intercepted and impounded, their crews punished, and five Asian origin refugee boats have been detected.

But the demanding fight to counter illegal activities along Australia’s vast coastline never ends, so it is reassuring to see that Coastwatch is now operating as an effective surveillance organisation. The new SeaScan jet aircraft not only symbolise the high tech surveillance campaign being undertaken, but their purchase is without doubt in the country’s best interests.