CBP Announces Upgraded Aircraft

Washington, DC - U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today its new King Air 350, twin engine Multi-role Enforcement Aircraft (MEA), providing the Department of Homeland Security unmatched capabilities to patrol the skies along the nation’s land and maritime borders.

Designed to be a truly multi-role aircraft, the MEA is equipped with a sophisticated array of active and passive sensors, technical collection equipment, and satellite communications capabilities that can be deployed for ground interdiction operations, air-to-air intercept operations, and medium-range maritime patrols.

The aircraft is operated by a crew of four, including two highly trained sensor operators who employ the mission equipment and coordinate the information flow to the ground. It can cruise at 270 knots with a maximum ceiling of 35 thousand feet, and can be easily reconfigured to carry special mission teams or a modest amount of cargo.

The first MEA will deploy to the southwest border in mid-June 2011 to undergo initial test and evaluation and to conduct missions aimed at enhancing ground tactics and enforcement coordination.

The CBP design incorporates a wide area marine search radar with air search capability and a ground moving target indicator. The nose of the aircraft was extended to provide a wide field of view for its high-resolution, electro-optical/infrared sensor (day/night camera). The aircraft can send targeting information through Ku-Band satellite communications, and it employs the latest data processing software capable of handling hundreds of targets simultaneously.

The CBP MEA was acquired by the Office of Air and Marine as a component of its decade-long aircraft recapitalization program, and was purchased to replace three types of aged, less capable and unsupportable twin engine patrol aircraft that were originally obtained through loans from the DoD. It is considered an “operator’s aircraft” in that CBP’s Air and Marine pilots and sensor operators actively participated in every aspect of the acquisition.

CBP holds a contract for 30 MEAs with Sierra Nevada Corp., with a requirement for up to 50 of the aircraft. The basic aircraft is built by Hawker Beechcraft Corp and sent to the Sierra Nevada factory in Hagerstown, M.D., where it is modified and all of the missions systems are installed and integrated.

Marine Electronics: Using Marine RADAR | Broadcasting Industry

Marine radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) is used to detect objects and their position relative to your location. It works by sending out a radio signal. When the signal hits an object it is reflected back to the radar unit which can then calculate the bearing of the object.

A marine radar device is an essential navigation aid for boaters. It is useful for detecting boats, birds landmasses, and weather systems even when visibility conditions are less than favorable.

Marine Radar: Top Features to Look For

The two most important features of any marine radar device are the transmitter power and the beam angle. Power can range from 2 to 4 Kilowatts. The higher the power, the better your transmitter can see through fog and rain and the further the signal can reach. Power is a factor in how well your radar does in bad weather. Blinding rain can cause low power marine radar to be less than effective.

Beam angle is determined by the size of your marine radar’s antenna. A long antenna will produce a narrow beam that gives good discrimination between objects close together. A short antenna has a wider beam angle allowing the radar to scan a wider area at one time.  Antennas are often customizable or configurable and can be purchased separately.

Guard Zone Alarm Split screen displays allow you to monitor objects close to your boat and objects further away at the same time. This feature is useful, among other things, for navigating buoys as you leave the shoreline while heading out towards a more distant spot.

Best Use of Marine Radar

One of the best features of marine radar is its ability to determine where you are with respect to where you were a few minutes ago. This “echo trail” feature can be used to determine how well you are navigating an obstacle as well as how well you maintaining the bearing you have set for your vessel. The echo trail is displayed on the radar’s display screen so you can quickly assess visually what is going on.  

Integrated Marine Radar and GPS/Chartplotters

Marine radars are fairly expensive; many units run in the thousands of dollars. It is a good idea to talk with other boaters and see what they are using and what features they like before committing that much money. To get more bang for the buck, look for marine radars that are already incorporated into other marine electronics such as GPS units and Chartplotters. Integrating your marine components reduces the complexity of your visual displays and reduces overall cost of items.  Even though sometimes you have to compromise with the features of each component offered in the integrated package, integrated marine radars offer good value for hobbyist boaters.

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