Bombardier Sells Three Q300 Turboprops for Australia's
Coastwatch
National Air Support (NAS) of
Adelaide, Australia has placed a firm order for three Bombardier
Q300 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) for the Surveillance Australia
Coastwatch program.
The list price value for the three aircraft on firm order is
approximately $53 million US.
Surveillance Australia began operating Bombardier Dash 8/Q200
aircraft in 1996 and currently operates five of the aircraft that
have accumulated more than 70,000 hours of aerial surveillance.
They are used to detect illegal fishing and immigration, quarantine
and environmental hazards, drug smuggling and missing vessels in
the largest operation of its type in the world.
NAS placed the Q300 aircraft order after winning a 12-year, $1
billion Australian dollars renewal of its contract with Australian
Customs.
In addition to the three new Q300 aircraft acquired from
Bombardier, NAS will purchase and convert two Dash 8/Q Series
aircraft from the existing fleet of sister company National Jet
Systems to the surveillance role, doubling the size of the
fleet.
"The large cabin of the Q300 accommodates sensor and
communications consoles, aircrew and Customs officers, with room to
move about on long flights," said Peter Nottage, Chief Executive
Officer, National Air Support. "The high wing and ideal window
positions give our crew uninterrupted vision for surface search.
When the aircraft is deployed away from base for extended periods,
the crew appreciates its reliability and the fact that its
auxiliary power unit turns the cabin into an air-conditioned,
well-lit operations centre, wherever the aircraft is parked."
"The four Q300 aircraft will be the 'long arms' of the fleet,"
said Mr. Nottage. "Their much longer endurance will give us greater
flexibility. We will be able to use them on missions requiring
extra range, but they will also be able to loiter in a given area,
or shadow a target of interest, for much longer periods of time on
tactical missions."
Mr. Nottage said the Q Series/Dash 8-300 aircraft also has
considerable growth capacity to accommodate future operational
upgrades and the extra fuel capacity will allow the aircraft to
retain full mission capability during Northern Australia's tropical
"wet season" when other aircraft are impacted by weather-related
fuel holding requirements.
This is the third order placed for the Q300 aircraft for a
special missions role. The aircraft was previously chosen by the
Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau for navigation aids inspection and
calibration, and by the Swedish Coast Guard for maritime
surveillance.
The Bombardier Q200 aircraft was chosen for maritime patrol by
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agency. A Bombardier Global 5000 business jet has been
delivered to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration as an
airborne research and development laboratory. Five Bombardier
Global Express business aircraft were delivered to Raytheon Systems
Limited for further delivery to the Royal Air Force in the U.K. for
its ASTOR air-to-ground surveillance system.
"We are gratified that National Air Support once again turned to
Bombardier to meet its requirement for maritime patrol and
surveillance," said Derek Gilmour, Vice President, Government and
Special Mission Aircraft Sales, Bombardier Aerospace. "Special
mission versions of our regional and corporate aircraft are
becoming an increasingly important part of our business. They have
a combination of robust airframes and efficient, cost-effective
performance."
The Surveillance Australia Q300 aircraft will be delivered to
Field Aviation at Toronto's Pearson International Airport for
conversion to the MPA role.