Founded in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was originally declared to be focused solely on terrorist targets and protection of US borders. Since then, DHS and its component agencies, namely the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and the Federal Protective Service (FPS or DHS PD) have come under intense scrutiny, especially under the Trump administration, for performing the role of an internal security force. This article aims to shine a spotlight on some of the shadowy aircraft employed by DHS for their missions, which have increasingly taken on a secret police vibe. This article is by no means exhaustive, and is based entirely on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s 2019 “releasable aircraft” list. Follow-up articles will cover unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and helicopters.
Beechcraft King Air 200/C-12C Huron
The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air (military variant known as C-12 Huron) is a common civilian/light transport aircraft seen at airports across the world. CBP uses them for a variety of missions, and places them in the “medium range” category (meaning these aircraft would be used for longer-term surveillance than, say, a helicopter). With a service ceiling of 31,000 feet and a top speed of 270 knots, it is capable of flying high enough to be next-to impossible to spot with the naked eye, unless one knows where to look. The engines would be difficult to hear, if one could hear them over background noise at all. Equipped with a forward-looking infrared detection system (FLIR) and an MX-15 electro-optical/infrared system (think heat vision and a high-powered camera), these aircraft are capable of maintaining an aerial overwatch position, tracking individuals in a crowd for ground units to apprehend.
Missions include:
- Aerial Patrol/Surveillance
- Prisoner Transport
- Personnel Transport
- Aerial Intercept
CBP has begun phasing out their fleet of Beechcraft King Air A200s and is replacing them with Beechcraft Super King Air 350ERs, which takes the same missions as the older aircraft but with upgraded systems, including a marine search radar. The Super King Air is excellent for so-called standoff capabilities, allowing the aircraft to remain at a safe/undetected distance and provide overwatch capabilities. The aircraft has a capacity of 10-11 persons. Per FAA records, CBP has at least 23 of these aircraft (A200/350ER) in-service.
(Not pictured: N115H; N162G; N541G; N78KR)
Cessna 210/Cessna 206
The Cessna 210 is the smallest of the fixed-wing DHS fleet, and fills a short-range, short-to-medium-duration air support role. With a service ceiling of 18,000 feet, the Cessna 210 is able to fly at an altitude which makes it quite difficult to hear, other than in a still/quiet location. While the Cessna 210s lack any specific equipment for reconnaissance (at least, per public sources), law enforcement would be more than able to bring handheld devices (cameras, scopes, night vision, etc.) that might greatly enhance the capabilities of the aircraft. Capable of landing on relatively-unimproved runways, the Cessna 210 greatly extends the rapid response reach of DHS. The Cessna 206 provides nearly the same capabilities with a slightly-less versatile air frame. There are currently 7 Cessna 210s and 13 Cessna 206s in DHS service, per FAA records.
…[Cessna 210s] flying with a two-person crew (pilot and observer), are effective platforms for law enforcement operations within and outside of large metropolitan areas. The aircraft provide better range and endurance than helicopters, and blend more effectively with local traffic to mask the presence of air surveillance, and avoid detection by potential suspects.
CBP Cessna C-206/210 Fact Sheet
(Cessna 210 not pictured: N5515Y; N7681U; N2265s, N732JF, and N9403Y listed as for-sale | Cessna 206 not pictured: N3858R; N243DR; N4604R; N5315X)
Pilatus PC-12
The Pilatus PC-12 is essentially a step up from any of the aforementioned aircraft despite its initial appearances. Powered by a single turboprop engine, the aircraft is able to operate at low-and-high speeds, and can lift off from short, unimproved runways. With a service ceiling of 30,000 feet, a top speed of 236 knots, and a four-hour endurance (for a range of just shy of 1,200 miles), the Pilatus PC-12 greatly extends the reach of federal officers, along with local officers who may be working with them. Runways need be no longer than 2,300 feet for take-off, and once airborne, the aircraft can utilize its electro-optical and infrared sensors, complete with laser designator, allowing the crew to track, identify, and follow individual persons or targets of interest in all conditions (read: day or night, rain or shine).
Typical missions include high-altitude detection and surveillance, creating a constant presence the adversaries are completely unaware of which is capable of feeding real-time intelligence to units on the ground. In addition to its primary mission, the aircraft also provides rapid short-runway-capable cargo transport and personnel airlift. Per FAA records, DHS has 3 Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, although it is suspected they have several more.
Bombardier DHC-8 Dash 8
One of the most popular medium-range, small-sized passenger aircraft around today, the DHC-8 as used by DHS has been upgraded significantly from the stock airframe. With a top speed of 242 knots and a service ceiling of 25,000 feet, the aircraft can provide surveillance for between six and seven hours, fitting the medium-range multirole patrol aircraft role for DHS. These aircraft will typically be deployed on maritime missions, that is, over water.
DHS has equipped their Dash 8s with the SeaVue marine search radar, allowing it to track multiple surface targets at once. It also comes with an electro-optica/infrared sensor with laser designator, allowing the aircraft to pinpoint, target, and track individuals in all weather and conditions. Finally, the aircraft has a microwave downlink to provide real-time information to personnel on the ground. Per FAA records, DHS has 8 DHC-8 Dash 8s in their active inventory.
(Not pictured: N804MR)
Lockheed P-3B Orion
The P-3 Orion was originally designed as a maritime patrol and anti-submarine patrol aircraft for the United States Navy. With four turboprop engines giving it a top speed of 405 knots and an endurance of 12 hours, it is the longest-range DHS aircraft currently in-service. There are two models of the P-3B being operated by DHS, both of which do different jobs. The first, the P-3B Long-Range Tracker (LRT) looks much like the stock P-3B Orion aircraft, with the addition of a small probe above the left-side window on the cockpit. The second aircraft is the P-3B Orion Airborne Early Warning (AEW), which is a standard P-3B with a circular radar dish fixed atop a stand on the fuselage, similar to the E-3 Sentry/E-2 Hawkeye AWACS aircraft.
p-3 orion lrt
The P-3 Orion LRT (henceforth LRT) are designed for long-range, high-endurance, all-weather patrol in drug transit zones in Central/South America, and along US borders. Translated from jargon, that means this aircraft is used for patrolling long periods of time along vast borders (or oceanic borders). The CBP factsheet also states that the aircraft can be used in joint operations with local, state, and/or federal agencies for “National Special Security Events”. Often flying with the P-3 AEW, the LRT “intercepts, identifies, and tracks targets of interest”. The aircraft comes equipped with electro-optical/infrared sensors (high-tech cameras), an AN/APG-66 radar (the same radar used by the F-16A/B model) for tracking air targets, and a SeaVue marine search radar for tracking surface targets.
p-3 orion aew
The P-3 Orion AEW (henceforth AEW) is the only dedicated law enforcement AEW aircraft in the world. Equipped with the AN/APS-145 radar, the same radar dish used by the US Navy’s E-2 Hawkeye AWACS airacrft, the AEW can track multiple air targets from long range, as well as provide an airborne platform for command and control of local law enforcement operations. Think of this aircraft as a flying command post.
