COTHEN Z## ALE Address List Update

One of the regular players you will see on the HF COTHEN network if you monitor ALE traffic are the Z## addresses. These are associated with the various CG Sectors. Here is my latest list and I have also updated Mark Cleary's list in the tab pages above.

Z## USCG Sector Remote Communications Consoles

Z01 USCG Sector Northern New England
Z02 USCG Sector Boston
Z03 USCG Southeast New England
Z04 USCG Sector Long Island
Z05 USCG Sector New York
Z06 USCG Sector Delaware
Z07 USCG Sector Baltimore
Z08 USCG Sector Hampton Roads
Z09 USCG Sector North Carolina
Z10 USCG Sector Charleston
Z11 USCG Sector Jacksonville
Z12 USCG Sector Miami
Z13 USCG Sector Key West
Z13PRI USCG Sector Key West
Z13SEC USCG Sector Key West
Z14 USCG Sector St. Petersburg
Z15 USCG Sector San Juan
Z16 USCG Sector Mobile
Z17 USCG Sector New Orleans
Z27 USCG Sector San Francisco
Z28 USCG Sector Los Angeles
Z29 USCG Sector San Diego
Z30 USCG Sector Pudget Sound
Z35 USCG Sector Juneau
Z36 USCG Sector Unknown
Z38 USCG Sector Humboldt Bay
Z58 USCG Sector Unknown
Z81 USCG Sector Unknown
Z99 USCG CAMSLANT Chesapeake, VA

CBP set to deploy new surveillance aircraft

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.

The MEA is capable of flying six-hour missions over the land or maritime borders, and can also be deployed to “hot spots” where multi-sensor patrols assist both ground and marine agents in apprehending smugglers and potential terrorists. The MEA will be a highly effective addition to CBP in the Gulf of Mexico, Eastern Pacific, Great Lakes region, and other coastal approaches to the country.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

NORAD Plans Air Patrols for Super Bowl

WASHINGTON - Fighter jet crews from North American Aerospace Defense Command's Continental United States Region will be busy Feb. 7 protecting the skies around Sun Life Stadium in Miami during Super Bowl XLIV.

Air Force fighter jets will be airborne while enforcing the Federal Aviation Administration's temporary flight restriction zone during the big game.

"As America's air defenders, we have a total team mindset," said Air Force Maj. Gen. Garry Dean, commander of NORAD's Continental United States Region. "Special events like this world-renowned sporting event take precise coordination with all mission partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FAA and local law enforcement."

In preparation for the Super Bowl, the FAA will impose a temporary flight restriction over the greater Miami area. Air Force fighters will be on patrol, and Customs and Border Protection assets also will fly during the event. This interagency partnership helps to ensure the safety of the skies over the stadium, officials said.

Airmen at the 601st Air and Space Operations Center here will closely monitor all air activity while the FAA temporary flight restriction is in place, said Air Force Col. Randy Spears, the center's commander.

"The men and women of this AOC monitor the skies 24/7 ... for the contiguous United States, and Sunday's special event is another part of our mission set," Spears said.

The flights will have minimal impact on aircraft in the area and are not in response to any specific threat, officials said.

"We want citizens to know that we are always on the job, and defending our homeland from air threats is our number one priority," Dean said.

Guard F-16s intercept suspicious aircraft

Airmen on Air National Guard fighter aircraft from two states intercepted a suspicious aircraft as it flew into U.S. airspace April 6.

North American Aerospace Defense Command officials directed F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the 148th Fighter Wing from Duluth, Minn., to initially intercept the plane near Michigan's Upper Peninsula before handing off the mission to F-16s assigned to 115th Fighter Wing from Madison, Wis.

The Cessna 172 single-engine aircraft was reported as stolen from an aviation school in Thunder Bay, Ontario in Canada, and departed without Navigation Canada authority, said Mike Kucharek, a NORAD spokesman.

Pilots attempted to notify the pilot to establish communications with local Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers and land safely for further follow-on action, according to a news release from the Wisconsin National Guard.

The Cessna pilot acknowledged the fighters, but was unresponsive to specific nonverbal commands, according to a NORAD press release.

The pilot was flying erratically and did not communicate with fighter pilots, Mr. Kucharek said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft intercepted the Cessna as well, but the F-16s followed the aircraft until it landed in an area 23 miles northwest of Popular Bluff, Mo., at 9:45 p.m. EDT.

The Wisconsin fighters were about to hand the mission over to aircraft from the 159th Fighter Wing of the Louisiana Air National Guard when the Cessna ran out of gas over southern Missouri. The aircraft landed on Highway 60 near Ellsinore, Mo., and was apprehended by local authorities.

Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar, the adjutant general of the Wisconsin National Guard and the homeland security adviser to the state, ordered the evacuation of the Wisconsin Capitol building in Madison as a precautionary measure, according to a press release from the state. At 5:45 p.m., the evacuation was terminated based on the aircraft's proximity to the capitol and workers were allowed to return to the building.